Male Female Ration In The Work example essay topic

During World War II, while many of America's workforces was fighting the Nazis and the Japanese, many women found themselves entering into an area that had never been readily available to them. During a time of crises, women stepped up and did the work that their husbands, sons, and fathers had been doing for generations. So many, in fact, were fighting in the war that women had to work. For the first time, women became a major portion of the workforce and have continued to fill those positions since. Even though several years have passed since the war ended, women are finding that the pay is not always equal to their male counterparts. There are several reasons for this that must be covered.

First, one must consider the time that has passed since women entered the work force. Second, the education level of both males and females, as well as the degrees that each received. Third, the male population in the work force must be compared to that of the female. Fourth, one must take into account the female homemaker when compared to males that work full time away from home.

Each of these areas are important and will be dealt with in a thorough manner. [Good, clear introduction!] Today, one would expect a higher percentage of women to hold top-level positions in U.S. companies. Unfortunately, the statistics show that there are very few women that hold these prestigious positions. For 40 years woman have been in the workforce and yet they continue to hold very few top-level corporate positions today. Women make up 3% of the top corporate officers in the companies that comprise the Fortune 500, and women hold no more than 6% of the Chief Executive Officer slots in Internet companies that are financed by major venture-capital firms. [what is your source?

You need to cite for statistics like this.] This gender gap is closing, and though it may be a small step for the current females in the workforce; it is a large step in the way of future ventures. By taking active steps to improve gender discrimination and education, females are making their imprint on the corporate world like they never have before. They are paving the way for future generations to lead and manage companies in the high high-stakes arena with less discrimination and more knowledge. Although women have come a long way in the workforce, they have had to pay a great price for their progress.

Many women are no longer staying at home, but they have become full time career women with families. This has been both good and bad. One of the positive effects that women have made had by going to work is the affect on the economy. The economy has been boosted by the purchases of homes, cars, and other things that would other wise remain unaffordable with one income. Women are able to contribute fiscally [financially?] to society in this regard, and it has created a higher standard of living. Families are able to do more, such as taking vacations, sending children to private schools, or even paying for college ahead of time.

More families are experiencing luxuries that were not available to them before women became a major part of the workforce. Another reason that women are making their presence known is because they are becoming more educated and getting the proper training that is necessary for them to obtain higher paying jobs. While women still struggle to earn the same amount as men, the gap between what each makes has narrowed. In 1967, the difference in the pay scale for full-time female workers versus full-time male workers was 60 cents to every dollar paid to men. By 1998, women's earnings had increased by another 13 cents to every dollar that male workers made. The move to broaden gender and racial diversity in the workplace got its start in the 1970's.

Although it was a slow movement in the 1980's, the 1990's became a decade that made a more substantial progress. By the 1990's, women had begun moving into the workforce in record numbers and the economic situation had reordered gender roles. Women were needed in the workforce, and with the decline in wages, a second income became necessary to support a family. [source?] Nevertheless, women today are still inadequately represented in upper management positions. Very few large firms, for instance Xerox, Fannie Mae, and American Express, have made significant progress in promoting women to high levels. [source?] Unfortunately, these companies are exceptions to the rule. The New York group, which monitors the progress of women in the workplace, reported that as of 1998, only 2.7% of the highest-paid officers at Fortune 500 companies were women. [citation?] Starting salaries for new university graduates are at their highest level in a decade, but the gap between what men and women earn is as wide as ever. According to graduate starting salaries 2001 [is that a publication?

If so it should be capitalized and in italics] .".. starting salaries for all graduates entering the workforce rose by $2,000, to 35,000, a year. The median starting salary for men last year was $36,000 - up $1,500 on the previous year. Women had a median starting salary of $34,000, compared with $32,000 in 2000". (web) [good!] A report in CC Ga tech based on almost 13,000 new graduates who were under 25 and in their first full-time job showed that "W [w] omen who graduated received better annual salaries than those female who had not obtained a degree. However, men without degrees had an average salary of $40,817". (web) [You must introduce your quoted material.] The report was based on almost 13,000 new graduates who were under 25 and in their first full-time job. For over 40 years woman have been in the workplace.

However, in the twentieth century you would think that most perceptions of woman in the workplace have changed. The truth is, people are afraid of change and those who are not are few and far between. For years's woman women have struggled to be a part of the workforce and promote the economy. It is a true statement when people say it really takes two to provide in today's world. Why then do woman still get less pay and less appreciation in the work force? Perceptions are worth a thousand words.

The Census Bureau will report today that the U.S. gap between the number of men and women is narrowing. There were "138.1 million men in 2000, a 14-percent increase from 1990. Women numbered 143.7 million, a 13-percent increase from 1990. That works out to 96.3 men for every 100 women in 2000. The gap has been closing steadily since 1980, when the male-female ratio was 94.5-to-100". (web) The differences between the educational attainment of female and male users continue to decrease. Nearly the same numbers of women and men have graduated from college (33.1% female versus 32.9 male), with more women who have completed some college (29.9%) than men (26.1%).

However, men have more doctoral and professional degrees (7.3% men versus 4.9% female)". (web) With the educational gaps closing so closely, why is it so hard for woman to receive equal pay? Many people would contribute the pay rate difference due to the fact that many women may leave the workforce for a certain amount of time to raise children or attend to family matters. Is this just a way to justify lower pay-rates or is it because women leave the job, and the skills they possess are temporarily put on hold? Perhaps this is a way to validate why men hold higher-level positions, to compensate for women who decide to be stay at stay-at-home moms later in their careers?

These are just a few of the questions that need to be further examined to determine the reasoning behind the lower rates of pay. Many questions are asked about why the pay rates vary, and few explanations are given. Women normally accept less pay than men and are aware that men make more financially. Some women choose and accept less pay because this has always been the way of the world. So women need to take more active steps to improve this gender gap. Possible steps in which women could take are to be more proactive in researching and not accepting jobs for lower rates of pay.

Females must gain access to the proper training and informational needs in today's virile market place. This will not only empower females as a gender but also make them become more valuable in the work force. In order to find the male-female ration in the work force, the best source that an individual can use is the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission (U.S.E.O.C. ). [close up the space between these initials: U.S.E.O.C.] According to the U.S.E.O.C., in 2000 there were 43,995,543 people in various private industries throughout the United States. Of this 23,272,569 were male and 20,722,974 were female (Par. 1) [Should cite to the author and page number]. Though it appears that the amounts are almost a fifty 50- percent ratio between males and females, it is important to look at which groups these individuals fall in.

When looking at the categories of sales, technicians, and professionals, women make up a vast majority. However, when looking at that of officials and managers, males are double that of females. Furthermore, one finds that males tend to work in higher paying fields than females. Though there are more female doctors in the United States, they tend to go into general practice. Males, on the other hand, tend to work in highly specialized areas of medicine.

Females also make up a greater percentage of attorneys, but males tend to go into trial law. Trial lawyers are the highest paid attorneys in the United States. Another aspect that must be taken into account is the time that males tend to start working compared to females. With more females pursuing education than males, that means that more males entering the work force at an earlier age. According to the graph below, females do not start at an equal rate to males until the age of 22. This finding is crucial to understanding the difference in pay that exists.

[This graph only shows what age men and women are starting work. It does not show what pay they are getting.] Those that enter the work force at the age of 18 have four years to gain experience. This experience is an extremely valuable tool to employers, as it means less time training. On the other hand, those that pursue a degree prior to entering the workforce are finding that they are starting at a lower wage than that of their counterparts that chose to work. [That's questionable. That's almost no difference at all.] Although males are primarily the providers and work outside the home, this trend is constantly changing as the ratio of single parent homes and stay at home dads continue to increase.

Which, before present day situations arose, was not the atypical normal circumstance. Studies have found that "Men working in occupational careers are by and large not affected by their families family's situation. However, when woman get married and even more when they have children, they will allocate more time and more energy to unpaid housework and less to paid work outside the home. Which in turns means that their career possibilities are reduced compared to the men. Married men not only earn more than married woman, they also usually earn more than unmarried men do". (web) [when you have more than 3 lines of quoted text you must set it apart in a block quote.] Thus making it harder for the primary breadwinner to take a leave of absence to care for his family.

There are double standards for every rule and this is a prime example. If the male reduces the main source of income for a family drastically then it is easier for the woman to leave her position and be the primary caretaker in the home. Because men still make up the main structure of the workforce, this gives them more time in the work place with more capability for them to move upward faster than women are able to do. However, slowly women are finding their niche in the American workforce and are becoming a force to be reckoned with. The reason being is that more and more woman that are seeking out higher means of education that was previously perceived to be prohibited. The integers of women that hold executive positions are higher than they were ten years ago.

Women are no longer afraid of achieving their goals in whatever field they would like and they are proving that they are now more knowledgeable at what they do. There are still many women who make the personal choice to stay at home and raise their families, perhaps as they themselves were raised. There is no right or wrong choice for women to make, it is just a matter of what is right for their lifestyle, as well as their homes. With criticisms at every door, this can make the decision decision-making process even more challenging. With negative headlines in regards to our up and up-and-coming youth the choice for most woman to leave their career is not an easy decision but is one that best meets their needs. There are many professional women today who simply get tired of the corporate grind.

Karen Hughes, President Bush's former White House Counselor, is a primary example of a woman in a high level position that made the choice to give up her career in efforts to be with her family. [or she was fired] Stepping down from a top-level position is no less easy than stepping down from a lower level position. More and more women are feeling less threaten by choosing to leave the work force for an undetermined amount of time. Many are choosing to further their educations while at home with their children. Ultimately, the pay difference that exists between males and females is great. However, there are several reasons that can be given for this discrepancy. Regardless of the reason, be it education, motherhood, or any other circumstance, it is a gap that continues to close.

Until then, it is certain to be a topic of great debate where individuals are able to gain valuable insight by researching this current difficulty..