Gender Role Changes at Work and at Home, Essay Example

A1. The statistic that surprised me the most is that even today only 75 percent of women 15 to 54 years old are either working or actively seeking a job while the labor participation rate for men is about 90 percent. I am aware that hurdles to career advancement still exist for women which is why there are so few women leaders as compared to men but I thought the gape between men and women labor participation rates must be lower than what the article suggests. This is because I read somewhere that more women than men now get college degrees in America. In addition, when I visit retail establishments, I almost find as many women as men which means women are no less active than men in the services sector. I have also observed that average U.S. family size has been declining because more women are now having a career. This is why the 15 percent gap in the labor participation rate has come as a little unexpected. If I were asked, I would have guessed 5 to 7 percent gap at the maximum.

A2. It’s a good thing that women got equality at work because it has not only resulted in a fairer society but has also economically benefitted the U.S. economy. The U.S. like many other developed countries do not have as high birth rates as developing countries and at the same time, population is aging. This means that over time a smaller labor force will have to support a much larger aging population. Thus, any factor that increases the labor population of the country is a positive thing. In addition, this has also increased the quality of labor in the country because greater opportunities have motivated more and more women to go to college and as a result, the quality of labor available to the companies has improved. More working women also mean higher average income and higher demand for the products and services produced in the economy.

A3. Women in the 21^st century have more freedom than women in the last century. The women in the last century didn’t even have voting rights for quite some time and in addition, the society expected them to be homemaker until social attitudes changed in the later part of the last century. But now women have the freedom to pursue career and more and more men are willing to help in household affairs. Even though there is still lot of progress to be made regarding advanced career opportunities for women, we do have some examples of women leaders at some of the leading global corporations such as Intel, Facebook, Pepsi, and HP.

A4. Some of the most important social macro forces that push men or women into family/career choices they do not enjoy include work/family conflicts and glass ceiling (specifically, in case of women). Even though more men are helping in household chores, women still perform most of the household and child duties which often forces them to forego their dream jobs because they cannot fulfill the time commitments. The existence of glass ceilings mean some women may be discouraged to pursue the most rewarding job opportunities because they have little hope of advancing into the leadership position. As a result, they may choose jobs with low future prospects though also less exhausting. As I think about the future, I will have to carefully plan my work/family balance and set realistic goals. It is also possible that ambitious future goals mean I delay my marriage for quite a time. The existence of glass ceilings in Corporate America does discourage me but I will specifically target companies with a good track record of advanced leadership opportunities for women. I do realize I will have significantly fewer choices in terms of prospective employers as compared to men.