Women in the Workforce - Research Paper Example

Women in the Workforce Introduction Before the 20th century, most women in the United States and in Europe were not involved in any form of employment. Women were involved in the traditional domestic chores designated for women. In this regard, they played their roles as mothers and wives in caring for their children and husbands. However, at the turn of the twentieth century this radically changed due to the industrial revolution. These developments of the industrial revolution caused more women to get into the work force. They started demanding for better payment and improved working environments. In addition, these women began to pursue higher education as well as demanding the right to exercise their democratic right of voting. In most cases, these women worked under poor working environments, received less payment and worked for extended periods (Lee, 2). Bascom affirms that before the industrial revolution, women did not have the right working outside their homes. The norms and cultures in the society dictated that women should only work in their homes. In America, there were substantial changes in the labor force during the second half of the twentieth century. Most people changed their perception concerning women in the labor force. This was largely because women had taken up the jobs that traditionally belonged to men. As a result, the number of women engaged in employment has increased exponentially since the early 1940’s (1). This paper will discuss the history of entrance of women in to the workforce, the problems that they faced and their participation in trade unions. History and statistics of female involvement in the work force During the industrial revolution, the manufacture of various products that previously occurred in homes now occurred in factories. As a result, people became reliant upon these produced products. It is during this time that most women who were not married began working in the freshly opened textile mills. They were greatly involved in the textile industry since they were traditionally able to perform this job based in their homes. However, when they would get married, these women would leave their jobs for domestic work. In the United States, women were working in approximately one hundred and seventy five diverse professions by 1850. In this group, most women engaged occupations that were extensions of their traditional domestic roles for instance spinning, food processing as well as clothing manufacture. In addition, twenty-five percent of the workers who worked in factories in the United States were unmarried women (McLaughlin, 1). The First World War was another significant opportunity for women to prove their capability in the work force. During this war, most men left vacant positions as they went for war. This provided an opportunity for women who took up these positions. In England for example, approximately two million women replaced men at their jobs during World War 1. Some of these jobs were areas that women may have filled prior to the war, for instance clerical jobs. This also affected the types of positions that women filled. Some women were engaged in employment in the transportation sector, engineering as well as hospitals (Wilde, 2). There were also dramatic changes in the American labor force during the Second World War just as during the First World War, men left their jobs to become soldiers and women filled these positions. During this time, these women majored in the production and manufacture of weapons and other machines for the war (Bascom, 2). Fascinating statistics indicate that the number and percentage of women in the work force constantly grows to date. For instance, estimates claim that the number of women engaged in the paid labor force has increased from 5.1 million in 1900 to 18.4 million in 1950 and to roughly 65 million in 2003. Projections by the U.S. department of labor shows that the number women in the work force will be over 77 million by 2012 (McLaughlin, 3). Education is another key factor that played a significant role for participation of women in the labor force in the 1980s. Since most fields previously belonged to men prior to the war, women engaged themselves to train in these roles. As a result, almost half of all college graduates in the 1980s were women. Consequently, women accounted for approximately 51 percent of the labor force by the year 2009. These women worked in certified and management professions. Among all these women in the work force, 36 percent of them held a college degree. This implies that college education, professional degrees as well as technical training have offered many job opportunities for women in the American workforce (Bascom, 5). Problems experienced by women in the work force There were various challenges that women experienced as they engaged themselves in the work force. Since most jobs that the women occupied previously belonged to men, it was very hard for women to handle these jobs. These jobs proved to be very complicated for the women since they did not have prior exposure to such kinds of occupations. Many people started praising women and appreciating that they too were capable of handling jobs traditionally male dominated. However, although they received praise for this move, the labor system did not allow these women to form labor unions or even join the already established unions. As a result, most women received less payment compared to men working in similar positions since members of unions enjoyed payment of union scale (Nguyen, 3). Even though there were some people who praised women in the work force, they still received resistance from all levels of the society. Most shockingly, even some fellow women criticized these women in the work force. They asserted that a woman should remain in the home to carry out the home duties and responsibilities as a mother as well as a wife. These women in the workforce also received adamant discrimination in the society. For instance, those who struggled for voting rights and labor reforms in form of demonstrations and strikes received brutality from the authorities with even some facing arrest. A good example is the arrest of Margaret Sanger In 1916, due to opening the first birth control clinic in the United States (Lee, 5). Nguyen affirms that the situation was worse due to lack of support in the organization of women movements. In this regard, many women in the work force did not support the development of these organizations. Most of these women who failed to support the development of organizations claimed that women in the workforce were not permanent employees but temporary workers. They asserted that they would loose these roles once the men return from the war. This implies that by deeming themselves as temporarily in the labor force, the urge to change circumstances appeared less significant since they would not be in the labor force for long (5). Another major problem that women in the work force faced was less payment and sex discrimination. Studies indicate that during the 1970s, men received payment, which was averagely 45 percent higher than the payment that women in the same positions received. In addition to this reduced payment, Sex discrimination was also rampant during this period. For instance, cases of sex discrimination accounted for above 33 percent of all employment prejudice cases filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (Bascom, 4). Wilde establishes that even if the onset of the war offered many job opportunities for women, it did not typically lead to an increase in the salaries of women, which were already much lesser compared to those of men. For instance in Britain, most employers divided jobs in to several small tasks and employed women in these subordinate tasks. As a result, women received less payment since the employers alleged that they did small jobs (7). In addition to this less payment, most employers employed women on a contractual basis, which made them loose their jobs once the men returned from war (10). Participation of women in labor unions This frustration of receiving lees payment compared to men in similar jobs sparked the urge for creating organizations to fight for their rights. In this regard, women realized that the only way to receive equal industrial treatment with men was though creating organizations and bargaining collectively. This urge prompted them to form trade unions, which they used to air their grievances (Nguyen, 4). The number and size of women trade unions augmented as the freshly employed workforce opposed a pre-war inclination for unions to have fewer women. This occurred because most women worked part time or in less advanced firms. In Britain women’s membership of trade unions increased from 350,000 in 1914 to over a 1,000,000 in 1918 (Wilde, 8). Conclusion The rise of women in the workforce started due to the unavailability of men during the world wars and the rise of industrial revolution. However, women especially in the United States proved to the whole world that they could handle roles traditionally designated for men. In addition, they proved that the work of a Woman is not household chores as traditionally asserted, but a woman is capable of working in the industries and offices. Although women proved their capability, they received harsh resistance and discrimination in the workforce. They received lees payment compared to men in similar jobs, received resistance from fellow women and worked in poor working environments. However, women realized that forming trade unions would help them change these conditions. Prominent women participated actively in these unions and were able to bring about various changes in the work force that most women are enjoying today. Work Cited Bascom, H.M. The Role of Women in the Labor Movement. 2011. Web. Lee, Lexa. The Lives of Women in the Early 1900s. 2011. Web. McLaughlin, Edith. The Transformation of Women to Full Participation in the Workforce. 2005. Web. < http://www.uri.edu/research/lrc/research/papers/McLaughlin_Women.pdf> Nguyen, Lynne. Women Participation in the Pacific Northwest’s Labor Movement during WWI. 1991. Web. < http://depts.washington.edu/labhist/strike/nguyen.shtml> Wilde, Robert. Women and Work in World War 1. 2011. Web. Read More