The times have changed and the gap between men and women’s salaries is decreasing to the point that “unmarried women between the ages of 22 and 30 without kids are making 8 percent more than men in the same demographic”. Now why is that, gentlemen? Because more of us are willing to go to college and get degrees so that we don’t have to rely on others to provide for us. We are striving to be the best, and that means that we are taking over many managerial jobs that were once solely male-dominated.
Education is the key to being successful in the world, not just to attain a job, but to bring about a certain respect that comes with high-level occupations. Though the media says that we don’t get paid as much as men do in the workplace, it is not because we are treated as lesser people. It is because we choose jobs in “lower-paying fields like education, while men are more likely to end up in relatively high-paying positions in business and technology”, emphasizing that women’s average income is less than our male counterparts. Furthermore, many women take time off their careers to have children and start a family to experience the pleasure of pregnancy and love. It is in the nature for women to want these things, but many must sacrifice between success and instinct; a choice where 100% of effort can’t be given to both.
Though most men aren’t conflicted with having a successful career or having a family, the idea that women are just makes us more passionate to strive to have both. Our strength and determination are going to bring us to the top – so watch out guys, it’s our turn now!
The school systems are definitely changing their ways to encourage girls to get an education so that they can support themselves and make as much or even more money than men. I attended an all girls school in middle and high school, and everyone in our graduating class went to a college or university. My high school encouraged girls to get involved in areas such as science and math, where boys usually excel. It was nice to be able to speak up in the classroom without being intimidated by immature teenage boys. I do know, however, that in most universities there is a larger percentage of men in math and engineering majors than women. Why is this? I believe that this trend still follows the stereotype that women should study "girly" things that would benefit them when taking care of a family.
ReplyDeleteAwesome post on a timely and important topic (s). There is so much to think about here: Girls are reaping the rewards 1920's and 1970's feminism. Yet, to many people today, feminism has bad connotations. You hardly hear the word anymore. Are we in a post-feminist time? Not if men still make more money than women, and they do. For example, among white people, women’s pay is only 78% that of men. But women appear to be on the threshold of closing the gap. As Lucy points out, girls in same-sex schools get the encouragement they need in math and science without fear of boys putting them down.
ReplyDeleteStill, it’s interesting that colleges are now struggling to keep the genders in balance; there are so many more women applying than men. I have even read articles about how at some schools, it is much harder for a girl to be accepted than a guy. This issue was discussed at a conference of writing teachers I attended last spring where several people commented on a decline in guys’ writing and reading skills: What is happening to boys, they asked? One answer was too much focus on sports in high school. What do you think, folks?