Women’s Careers & Changes in the Past 10 Years

Professionally, things have certainly changed for women over time; no longer are they looked upon as if they’re only capable of raising children, being good housewives and looking good on some successful man’s arm. In a fast changing world, they are starting to leave their marks in fields which were once known to be male-dominated, as well as in leadership positions.

Excelling in a male-dominated workforce does not mean that you have to become less feminine – it simply means that you must be confident and focused as far as your aspirations go.

Findings

In December 2013, the Pew Research Center published an article with some very interesting findings. Research had shown issues regarding professional women and some of the following points were highlighted:

Young women, as opposed to their male counterparts, started their careers better educated. For example: In the 25 – 32 year old group, 38% of women and 31% of young men entered the work force with at least a 4 year college degree. Compare this to the 1970s findings when men were at 20% and women at 12%, and you can see a remarkable difference. The same research showed that today’s young women make more money than females of past generations.

Greater Confidence

This should inspire women to be more confident, as the next step up would be to show their determination in managerial positions. It seems that the workforce is also taking note of the fact that women may be much better at strategizing and planning than had been thought in the past. Research data shows further evidence that companies are starting to take note that, as opposed to what businesses may have believed previously, women may actually be very valuable in senior positions.

Case in point: In 2009, companies with female CEOs performed very well. The New York Times Company (under Janet Robinson) and WellPoint Inc. (under Angela Braly) were amongst those that showed great success and recorded remarkable jumps in stock prices (68% and 39% respectively).

The trend of having women at the top of successful groups is very apparent. Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors was named 1st on Fortune magazine’s list of “50 Most Powerful Women in Business” as well as one of the “World’s Most Powerful Women” by Forbes. Others include Marissa Mayer (Yahoo Inc.) and Meg Whitman (Hewlett-Packard Corp).

Leaders

At the end of 2009, an article in The Economist made some interesting observations such as, ‘‘at the end of her campaign to become America’s first female president in 2008, Hillary Clinton remarked that her 18m votes in the Democratic Party’s primaries represented 18m cracks in the glass ceiling.’’ It states further that ‘’ in the market for jobs rather than votes the ceiling is being cracked every day’’. 

This situation would never have presented itself a few decades ago when women were seen primarily as good supporters, but not necessarily as leaders of one of the world’s most important economies. The article further states that women now own almost 60% of university degrees in America and Europe. It seems that they’re certainly becoming more educated than men and may therefore take greater leading roles in many industries in the future.

Poker

Long seen as the domain of men, the world of professional poker is certainly not lagging behind. Many more women are now entering and becoming successful in an arena which offers them an opportunity which was not exactly welcoming until recently. Katie Stone, one of professional poker’s so-called “Grindettes” was interviewed by prominent online poker brand Full Tilt Poker and said that the numbers in poker are growing and, “Overall, women are taking a more leading role in the poker world. It is a slow process but more women are starting to appear and are playing the game at a serious level.” In the past, men made the headlines as far as poker is concerned – these days many more women choose it as a career and are quite successful.

Chefs

Although the world’s top chefs still tend to be male, an article by The New York Times (January 21, 2014) about female chefs becoming more prominent put Lauren DeSteno, the newly appointed chef de cuisine at New York’s smart Marea Restaurant, in the limelight. Says DeSteno, “in a good kitchen, male and female really doesn’t matter anymore.” Being in charge of 20 chefs who report to her doesn’t seem to intimidate her. “You get the work done, you handle yourself professionally – and you go home.”  At 31, she’s totally confident and believes she has what it takes.

Previously, most women chefs were enrolled in pastry courses; these days, a much greater percentage than in the past are entering general culinary programs as is evidenced by the figures supplied by the International Culinary Center. For example, at Johnson & Wales University, the proportion of female graduates more than doubled between 1992 and 2012. It is clear that women are making their presence felt in the world’s top kitchens.

Management

In recent times, it has become increasingly apparent that women are making great strides in fields where they hardly made an impact previously. According to Forbes (2011), “Women are pouring into management and professional occupations that require more education and offer higher pay and status.” 

Women are now ”taking over” jobs in fields such as Accounting and Auditing (61.8%), Meeting and Convention Planning (83.3%), Financial Management (54.7%) and Education Administration (62.6%), to name but a few. It is true that some decades ago women in these jobs (and as leaders) were in the minority. That is no longer the case as the above examples prove. It must also be mentioned that many women have mastered the art of combining motherhood with being successful professionals in demanding jobs.

The Military

It is no longer strange to find women in the military, as well as in combat roles. Projections show that female military veterans, who comprised 8% of the total force in 2009, will be up to 15% of all living veterans by 2035. This may not sound significant, but it will mean double the numbers of 2009. This shows a significant increase in numbers in a field that previously employed almost no females except those in positions that were thought of as “female,” such as nursing.

Making Important Strides

One has to be careful when assuming that what is taking place in the workforce will be the trend for future decades. However, the above examples certainly support evidence that women are no longer relegated to being mere assistants; no, they are making important strides towards leveling the playing field. They are taking on careers which were, until quite recently, seen to be “reserved” for their male counterparts. They are starting to become managers and leaders in their field. Women have come a long, long way from hiding in the shadows and are starting to shine their own professional light.