01.03.10
Women In The Workforce: Rise of Female Power
While I’m not normally a big fan of the economist, I found this article about Women in the workforce:
Female power to be a pretty interesting read.
THE economic empowerment of women across the rich world is one of the most remarkable revolutions of the past 50 years. It is remarkable because of the extent of the change: millions of people who were once dependent on men have taken control of their own economic fates. It is remarkable also because it has produced so little friction: a change that affects the most intimate aspects of people’s identities has been widely welcomed by men as well as women. Dramatic social change seldom takes such a benign form.
The article talks about a good deal about the progress women have made in the workforce. However, there are some limitation caused by the biological differences between men and women:
This no doubt owes something to prejudice. But the biggest reason why women remain frustrated is more profound: many women are forced to choose between motherhood and careers. Childless women in corporate America earn almost as much as men. Mothers with partners earn less and single mothers much less. The cost of motherhood is particularly steep for fast-track women. Traditionally “female” jobs such as teaching mix well with motherhood because wages do not rise much with experience and hours are relatively light. But at successful firms wages rise steeply and schedules are demanding. Future bosses are expected to have worked in several departments and countries. Professional-services firms have an up-or-out system which rewards the most dedicated with lucrative partnerships. The reason for the income gap may thus be the opposite of prejudice. It is that women are judged by exactly the same standards as men.
The article focused on the rights and power of women in the workforce, and also the life decision of career or family, but I think the article neglects the changing attitude regarding kids in industrialized societies. Having a kid puts your life on hold. This is more true for women, since we place the duty of childrearing on women. So regardless of your goals for your career, if your life is about you, what you can do, and the adventures you can find, its a hard sell to put your life on hold to nurse the next generation.