Obstacles and Statistics

Angelo Corso

Professor Reilly

Tuesdays 12:00-2:50

26 September 2014

Obstacles and Statistics

Over the last century, the perceptions and stereotypes of the working woman have drastically changed, from the first half of the 20th century when women were expected not to work, but to be the demure and obedient housewife, quietly raising the children and having the chores done and dinner waiting, to a more progressive and enlightened working woman, where a woman can choose which career path she wishes to follow. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics has numerous statistics regarding many different aspects of women in the workplace, and although we have made significant progress towards true gender equality, unfortunately we are not quite there yet.

The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in 2010 that out of 15 common gender neutral career paths, women in the same positions earned less for the same work in 12 out of those 15 occupations, only consistently earning more than their male counterparts when employed in the food and service industry, the bill and account collection industry, and or as stock clerks and order fillers (US Bureau of Labor Statistics).

It is also true that on average, when considering a macro perspective of the female labor force as a whole, a woman will earn an average of around 77 cents for every dollar her male counterpart earns (US Bureau of Labor Statistics). It has been argued that this could be because men are more educated for higher positions or put in more hours to get ahead. This is not the case, in fact, in recent years the percentages of men attending college has stalled, while the percentage of women attending has been gathering momentum. To take this a step further, an even larger percentage of women actually go on to successfully graduate from college, while a larger percentage of men drop out, this gap was at its largest in the 1970’s and had been closing steadily until the late 1990’s when women actually overtook men (Asprantis).

In terms of labor force participation rate, or the percentage of men and women of working age who are either currently employed, or able and willing to work, men have fallen slightly regardless of level of education from nearly 100 percent to around 95 percent, while college educated women in the labor force went from a low of around 55 percent in the 1960’s to around 85 percent today, while women lacking a college education has also seen an increase from less than 40 percent to more than 60 percent over the same time period (Asprantis). To sum all this up, in the last 50 years, nearly all men would end up working, regardless of the education level they attained, while over the same period of time, more women are attaining higher levels of education than ever before, and the stereotype of the uneducated, demure, stay at home wife is on its way to becoming a thing of the past.

The point all these statistics make is as follows; the idea of gender inequality in regards to employment, positions, promotions, pay rate, or arguably any other category one could make is simply outdated, archaic, and ridiculous. It remains as nothing more than a relic from a hyper-patriarchal society from long ago that has been and still is in the process of being replaced by one that is more equal, progressive, and free thinking. However, the underlying idea is to remember that we have come a long way, but we still have a ways to go.