Gender in the Workplace 2050 by Kerri Schmatz

What does the future hold for business women in the workplace?


We're making progress, but, it has taken years to even get close to that glass ceiling. Let's take a look back in time to see how far we (women) have, and haven't, come.

Women constitute half the world's population, perform nearly two-thirds of its work hours, receive one-tenth of the world's income and own less than one-hundredth of the world's property.

"In 1950 about one in three women participated in the labor force. By 1998, nearly three of every five women of working age were in the labor force. Among women age 16 and over, the labor force participation rate was 33.9 percent in 1950, compared with 59.8 percent in 1998."

-- 63.3 percent of women age 16 to 24 worked in 1998 versus 43.9 percent in 1950.
-- 76.3 percent of women age 25 to 34 worked in 1998 versus 34.0 percent in 1950.
-- 77.1 percent of women age 35 to 44 worked in 1998 versus 39.1 percent in 1950.
-- 76.2 percent of women age 45 to 54 worked in 1998 versus 37.9 percent in 1950.
-- 51.2 percent of women age 55 to 64 worked in 1998 versus 27 percent in 1950.
-- 8.6 percent of women age 65+ worked in 1998 versus 9.7 percent in 1950.

Citing:
U.S. Department of Labor: Changes in Women's Work http://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2000/feb/wk3/art03.htm


My prediction:

The number of women will continue to increase in the workforce. Women will continue to have primary responsibility for home and family matters, affecting work attendance negatively.

Pay to women will continue to lag the pay men earn in similar careers, even when the woman has more education. The trend of more women attending college will continue. Chosen studies will affect both their pay and their employability potential.

Employers will be unable to meet the flexibility requirements of many women. Women owned businesses will become the career of choice for many women.

While we are making progress, as a society, the statistics I have seen show the percentage of women moving into education for high technology and hard science careers is on the rise.

Citing:
National Council for the Research on Women
http://www.ncrw.org/index.htm