Women In The Workforce

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Another reason why there are more women in the workforce is because they are becoming more educated. In fact, women are more likely to be educated over men. The Department of Labor has determined 34 percent of women will earn a bachelor’s degree before the age of 29, compared to only 24 percent for men (DeWolf 2017). However, this statistics leaves a few questions unanswered. If more women are educated than men is it ethical they are being paid less and are presented with fewer opportunities to advance in their careers? Moreover, why aren't men equally as educated? Is there a roadblock or other reasons for this inequality? Men and women deserve to be equally educated. A gap in education will only inflate the issue of gender inequalities in …show more content…

For instance, fewer women are studying STEM programs. As a result, this has formed gender roles in the workforce. STEM fields have become male-dominated, while education and nursing have become female-dominated. This segregation is also due to promotion and hiring discrimination. Claudia Goldin, a Harvard University economist concludes men can “underestimate women’s skills based on their current underrepresentation in certain occupations” (McGrew 2016). In other words, they (wrongly) feel women are only limited to the skills of their current occupations and that assimilating them into a male-dominated industry would hinder production because of their lack of skill. Additionally, females are hesitant to enter predominantly male industries because of sexual harassment. In many blue-collar occupations this has become their culture. Sometimes this harassment can be in the form of “exclusive hiring”, which restrains a women’s progression (McGrew 2016). Moreover, some men avoid female-dominated industries due in part to stigmas and penalties for working in female professions. For instance, female positions tend to have lower salaries. Besides a pay decrease, entering a female-oriented industry can be a threat to a man’s masculinity. These men worry how society will view them and are concerned about matching their careers to their stature/egos. Although occupational segregation may appear to be a minor issue, it has significant

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