Education & Careers » women

Women with College Degrees Fare Better than Those Without

Brenda Clemons, online education — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 21:34:52 +0000

The Federal Government has released the latest data on employment and wages. The news on women’s wages is disheartening but not new: women must work for 16 months to receive the amount of pay their male co-workers (performing the same tasks) make in just 12.

Women With College Degrees

Women with college degrees, on average, make $0.77 for every $1.00 made by their male counterparts. The news is even worse for women without college educations, they earn between $0.52 and $0.62 for every $1.00. Especially hurt by these figures are minority women of African American and Hispanic origin.
Research also shows that the income of single working moms is well below the poverty level. This has an adverse effect on children. Families living in poverty stricken areas often go without the basic necessities of decent clothing, food, and medical care. These areas tend to have schools of poorer quality. Rarely do these children have the opportunity to attend college. The result is that, not only is the economy hurt, but so if the future of a whole generation of children, and ultimately, the future of the United States.

Unemployment

The recent bad economy has hurt women (without education) more than men. While men found jobs in the recent months, women have lost them. To put salt in an already opened wound, women receive less unemployment benefits than men. Why? Because unemployment benefits are based on a worker’s past salary. Since women have earned less through the years, their current benefits are less.
Retired women have less savings then men. Again, the reason for this disparity is based on income. While women with degrees tend to save for retirement (more than non-degreed women) their savings is still less than a man’s. This is due to the fact that retirement funds are often based on a percentage of income. Women receive less social security retirement benefits for this same reason.
Women working in businesses in big cities earn more than those working at labor jobs in the mid-west. Women working in the nation’s capitol (Washington, D.C) earn the most, while women in the state of Wyoming earn the least.

Paycheck Fairness Act

The Paycheck Fairness Act is coming up for a vote in Congress. This would give women more rights and ammunition in their fight for equal pay. If this legislature is passed, not only can women sue for back pay, but they can also collect punitive damages. It allows women to unite in class action suites. It protects workers who choose to share their wage information. Finally, it would require employers to report their salary base to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Even if this law is passed, the best bet for women to ensure their future is through a college degree.
Want to learn more about women’s wages? Follow this link to learn more: http://www.pay-equity.org/. Read what President Obama said about equal pay.

Earn your bachelor’s degree, it will come back to you in higher earnings and more job opportunities.

Girl Power: Women Rule in the Classroom

Marcus Varner — Tue, 27 May 2008 19:28:06 +0000

We, the male population, had it coming, I suppose. After centuries of keeping women down with often unfair social mores and sometimes ridiculous fashion demands, we had to expect that someday there would be a backlash, that one day the “fairer sex” would come out swinging, eager to dispel those centuries of oppression. Well, newsflash for all you guys out there and congratulations to all the ladies: that day has arrived.

Women are officially kicking boys’ butts in the classroom. That’s right, the ivory towers once inhabited almost solely by men have been invaded and repossessed by women. According to statistics, 60 percent of college students are now female. Women earn 170,000 more bachelor degrees annually than their male counterparts. The ratios of females to males at business and medical schools are steadily rising, and at law schools, women now hold a majority. Meanwhile, increasing numbers of boys from elementary to high school are struggling to meet minimum requirements.

Where did this trend come from? A few theories exist. One claims that females, who tend toward cooperation, collaboration, multi-tasking, and sitting quietly, are socially better suited for the traditional school system; boys, who crave adventure, competition, and physical activity, tend to be square pegs in round holes, so to speak, in school. Other theories suggest that the feminist movement, with its constant barrage of “girl power” messaging, and the relative silence from the male side is responsible for this dramatic shift. For nearly 40 years now, girls have had armies of supporters telling them they carry the torch for those who didn’t have the chances they did. Boys, on the other hand, have had very little to fight for; encouragement usually involves athletics rather than academics.

Two bastions of male domination still remain, however: management and salary. Males still vastly outnumber females in management roles. Average male salaries in comparable positions uniformly outpace those of their female counterparts.

It may just be a matter of time before those women who now fill universities spread into the companies of the world. It may just be a matter of time before women come to dominate business, politics, and life as we know it. It may be just a matter of time before men find themselves wearing really uncomfortable corsets and having to watch their figures. (Kiss your 32 oz. steaks and belching contests goodbye!)

All of Mom’s advice about being nice to girls totally makes sense now. Back then, it was about chivalry. In the future, it may be about survival.

Women in the Boardroom: Still a Tough Climb

Marcus Varner — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 21:28:21 +0000

If you were to believe everything you see on TV shows, you would think that women had finally shattered the glass ceiling and claimed their place alongside men in the boardrooms of America. You would think they were calling the shots, moving and shaking, taking the world by storm. And you would be sorely mistaken.

We know better than to believe what we see on TV. In fact, according to statistics from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the percentage of women breaking through into management positions is still noticeably low. From 2002 to 2005, the percentage of women in management roles hovered around 35 percent. In stark contrast, women occupy 52 percent of professional positions, 48 percent of technician positions, 56 percent of sales positions, and a whopping 79 percent of office and clerical positions. Despite the growing presence of women in other job types, it seems, management largely remains a club for the boys.

This is not to say that women are completely absent from upper management roles. Pepsi, for instance, has enjoyed recent success under CEO Indra Nooyi. And Xerox Chairman and CEO Anne Mulcahy has been largely responsible for bringing the company back to life. Women are obviously capable of taking the reins in the business world, to say nothing of the looming possibility of a female president. So why don’t we see more of them in the boardroom?

Theories abound. All of them are bound to get emotional, even angry, reactions. The truth is, however, that no one really knows; but they do have some pretty good guesses. Other people have some pretty dumb ideas that only reflect the ugly ghosts of the past. Here are five of the most popular explanations for this phenomenon (disclaimer: these explanations do not represent my personal viewpoints but mere reportings of what others have proposed):

1. Chauvinism – Tradition! As much as things have progressed, many businessmen still hold to the belief that women are ill-equipped to handle the rigors of the corporate world and should be confined solely to raising children and looking pretty. Don’t expect this to clear up any time soon, as these beliefs are very, very entrenched in the psyche of American males. Give us guys a few more decades of getting our butts kicked by girls in basketball or Halo, and things will improve dramatically.

2. Different communication styles – Studies have shown that women generally communicate ideas differently than their male counterparts. From this, researchers have formed the theory that this difference hampers women in a world structured to reflect and facilitate male communication. Women asking for buy-in from teammates, for example, is perceived by males as weakness or uncertainty. It’s sort of the polar opposite of when your girlfriend or wife asks you if you want ice cream but she really means she wants ice cream.

3. Emotional approach – When Hillary cried in Hew Hampshire, women suddenly gravitated toward her. Tears, however, do not have the same effect on men. Tears make us uneasy because they are usually because we did or said something dumb. In the male-dominated boardroom, displays of emotion are seen as contrary to the logic that must supposedly reign there. In the minds of many males, being overly happy, sad, or angry represents a lack of discipline or control; and this translates into weakness. This is a major obstacle for the many women for whom outward displays of emotion come so easily.

4. Fewer women seeking business degrees – Many experts point to the fact that many women just aren’t attracted to the world of business. Many go into nursing, education, or the humanities. With fewer women studying business, fewer still will actually rise through the ranks to join top management. This fact is supported by research, but the causality behind it is still in question. Do women choose not to pursue management careers because of the barriers to entry or are they naturally more attracted to other careers?

5. Less competitive – The business world, by its own admission, is not a friendly place, per se. They say things like, “Business is war” and, “You get the point.” The modern conception of business is a place of competition, adversity, winning and losing, conquering and domination. Generally, these values have been espoused by men as necessary to business success. Studies have shown that women, in general, much to their disadvantage, value instead cooperation and synergy. These values have the potential to boost companies’ capabilities. In the meantime, however, they are viewed as a weakness by many male managers and block women from being promoted up into higher management.

Opportunities for women to become top managers have increased dramatically, but they still have a tough climb to the top. Old traditions and the largely male-centric business world still work against them. This means they will, for the time being, have to work harder and make a bigger impact to rise to the top. Women interested in taking on this challenge can start by looking into Business Degrees.

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