Yesterday, Today, and Beyond

Occupational segregation is a two fold issue that will continue to self perpetuate until enough people change.   When referring to gender occupational segregation, many men and women self select careers that they think will be a good fit for them.   There are many reasons for this.   One reason is the examples that people have seen growing up and in their lifetime.   For example, many teachers have historically been women.   When little girls are growing up, they may think that teaching could be a profession for them to choose.   Boys may be less likely to want to become a teacher, because there are not as many male teachers as there are female. Although stereotypes are changing - in our culture, as well as many others, we think of and are taught that certain jobs are for certain people because they historically always have been.   When we, as a society picture a firefighter, we generally think of a man.   When we think of a secretary, we tend to think it will be a woman.   The o

The United States has not ratified the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) international agreement.   According to the National Women’s Law Center, only the United States and six other countries have not ratified this agreement ("Issues").   The Co-President of the National Women’s Law Center testified that CEDAW protects basic human rights and aims to stop gender based discrimination against girls and women.   Nearly 200 countries have adopted CEDAW.   The main tenets of CEDAW are to: 1) prevent crimes of sexual assault, domestic violence, sex trafficking and other forced physical and sexual acts primarily experience by women worldwide; 2) give girls and women equal access to education and job training; 3) improve access for women to healthcare and improve maternal mortality rates; and 4) provide critical legal support and legislation to families, mothers and their children (Greenberger). CEDAW seems like a no brainer and sh

According to a report by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, men make more money in their lifetimes, even at the very beginning of their careers, in comparison with women.   In 2016, the weekly median difference between all men and women over 16 was $166.   While men’s salaries continue to go up during their 20’s through 60’s, women’s salaries show topping off in their 30’s and 40’s at about $200 less per week than men their same age.   Even after age 65, when both men and women’s salaries decline, the weekly salary of a woman still stays about $200 less than a man’s salary.   This is significant amount of money that can have an impact over a woman’s lifetime.   Two hundred dollars may not seem like much, but equals over $10,000 a year, and over $400,000 over a 40 year career (Women’s).   There are many reasons that these pay gaps exist.   Women are typically seen as the primary caregiver to children and over the domestic sphere. Many women who can affo