The Issue of Women in the Workplace outside the Home - Research Paper Example

October 14, 2008 Labor Economics The issue of women in the workplace outside the home had been tumultuous over the last century. In the early 20thcentury, very few women participated in the labor force. A place for the women was home, taking care of the family and managing the domestic world or the household chores. It was seen as unfit for women to be in certain professions, and most of them did not work. But as been observed, time had made its course and made women realize that, more than tending the home, they can be more productive, in working outside of their homes. Let us consider other factors that leads to women to work outside. Women today are more intelligent and independent. They strongly believe that given the chance, they can equal the jobs of the male gender working behind office desks. Higher wages also draws women to work. With the help of household tools that are being used like the washing machines, the microwave oven and other tools in the house that make everyday household works easier, women have more time to spare in doing other jobs. There is also this rising aspirations for them to have or own material goods. For most women, owning material things that are hard earned is an accomplishment. Sharing family expenses with the man of the house is also an achievement. Economic and institutional advantage is clearly seen. In this changing world, women have proven they can surpass the ability of the male gender, that the intelligence of men and women are now of equal footing. However, let us not forget that there are workplaces that are designed for the male gender in as much as there are workplaces that are dominated by the female force. Looking at a more specific job fields, as in the field of engineering and management, the male dominates the female population. In hospitals, and in some clerical offices, the women population is more than twice of the male population. The statistics shows that 52.7% of families shows that both husbands and wives are working. The strong drive of women to enter into the labor force had made them better persons. They have gained more self confidence, they have become more competitive and most of all, they have found a place of their own. 2. As Dr. Jeffry H. Larson has cited, In the final analysis, thirty years of research show that for the benefit of men, women, and their children, marriage is superior to cohabitation. Cohabitation cannot provide or compete with the rewards and benefits of a strong, committed marriage. Cohabitation is not an effective "trial marriage," if such a thing exists. It does not provide divorce insurance. Couples will be better off on life's measures of success and happiness (e.g., emotional health, physical health, and personal wealth) if they are married rather than living together. Cohabitation has more costs than rewards but, unfortunately, continues to be popular, especially among young adults, even though cohabitors fail to receive the benefits or avoid the risks they think they will. People need to know that cohabitation fails to bring couples the happiness and stability they desire in a close personal relationship. The family formation becomes dependent with the present situation that both husband and wife are working. Children do well when families do well; families do better when they live in supportive communities. Families with economic success are those that can meet their immediate needs. They can envision a stable and a secured financial future towards achieving a vision for themselves and their children. Being able to meet current expenses, weather unexpected events, saving for the future education, retirement, and acquiring assets are all signs of a successful family economics. In the final analysis, there are more gains than losses in marriage. In the case where a spouse is sick the other can work. The partner's bonding is more stable. A spouse is entitled to the benefits of the other. Spouse's health insurance, pension rights and Social Security benefits are just some of the benefits that marriage has to offer. Child rearing is never a problem because the stability of the partnership is not as shaky as in the case of cohabitation. 3. While it was true that the economists argued that more women are working because there are more clerical jobs that opened after world war II, there had been a dramatic turn of events from that time to the present. Below is a table that shows the latest employment rate of women. 20 Leading Occupations of Employed Women 2008 Annual Averages (employment in thousands) Total Women's Total Employed Median Employed (Men and Percent Weekly Occupation Women Women) Women Earnings Total, 16 years and older (all employed women) 66,870 144,427 46.3 $600 Secretaries and admin. assistants 3,348 3,455 96.9 584 Registered Nurses 2,309 2,529 91.3 971 Cashiers 2,291 3,063 74.8 327 Elementary and middle school teachers 2,220 2,701 82.2 824 Retail salespersons 1,740 3,386 51.4 405 Nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides 1,694 1906 88.9 395 First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers 1,436 3,435 41.8 536 Waiters and waitresses 1,401 1,960 71.5 348 Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks 1,364 1,511 90.3 582 Customer service representatives 1,349 1,916 70.4 533 Childcare workers 1,320 1,401 94.2 345 Receptionists and information clerks 1,301 1,403 92.7 467 Maids and housekeeping cleaners 1,285 1,423 90.3 348 First-line supervisors/managers of office and administrative support 1,163 1,543 75.4 658 Accountants and auditors 1,071 1,779 60.2 844 Teacher assistants 869 942 92.3 405 Office clerks, general 848 1,035 81.9 534 Cooks 811 1,868 43.4 340 Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists 716 767 93.4 391 Preschool and kindergarten teachers 674 690 97.7 554 4. Table A-10 clearly shows that women in almost all aspects of employment, are in the mainstream. First line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers, and cooks are the only occupations in the list where women workers ranked below 50%. The list of occupation of men and women worker shows that there was a rapid increase in the proportion of women working outside of the home. 154.7 million civilian labor force and the labor force participation rate which is 66.0 percent did nit change over the month of September. The total employment of 145.3 million and the employment population ratio of 62% had a little change. The employment-population ratio has declined by 1.4% from a high in December 2006. For economic reasons, the number of persons who worked part time rose to 337.000 to 6.1 millions in September, an increase of 1.6 million over the past 12 months. The number of persons who were marginally attached to the labor force in September was 336,000 more than 12 months earlier. These individuals wanted to work and are available for work and had been looking for jobs. The number of persons who were marginally attached to the labor force in September was 336,000 more than 12 months earlier. These individuals wanted to work and are available for work and had been looking for jobs. The employment-population ratio has declined by 1.4% from a high in December 2006. For economic reasons, the number of persons who worked part time rose to 337.000 to 6.1 millions in September, an increase of 1.6 million over the past 12 months. The number of persons who were marginally attached to the labor force in September was 336,000 more than 12 months earlier. These individuals wanted to work and are available for work and had been looking for jobs. References Jeffry H. Larson, Ph.D., LMFT, CFLE, A Scientifically Proven Method for Evaluating Your Relationship and Improving its Chances for LongTerm Success, San Francisco: Jossey- Basse, 2000. Read More