Throughout history, society has dictated the public's perception on where men and women belong in the working world. Men have always been the “provider” or “bread winner,” relied upon to “bring home the bacon.” Women on the other hand, if assumed to work at all, were more suitable for jobs that required more nurturing skills than technical ones like a nurse or assistant. This has been an issue since hunter-gatherer scenarios and extends to today where some question, "Why is Siri's voice a female voice?"
Men were even preferred in the numbingly mundane tasks in an assembly line, while the highest form of a woman's technical skills were typing.
"Years ago, it was not easy for women to enter engineering or fields like it. Males were preferred because of type of work and life style perhaps," says Elba Maldonado-Colon, an elementary education professor at San Jose State University.
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| (left to right)Kumagai, Sawa and Nagasato of Japan celebrate |
"Years ago, it was not easy for women to enter engineering or fields like it. Males were preferred because of type of work and life style perhaps," says Elba Maldonado-Colon, an elementary education professor at San Jose State University.
But in this new modern age of the rise of strong, independent women in our society, we are starting to see women become more and more groundbreaking. From Sally Ride becoming the first woman in space to the Japanese Women's World Cup soccer team (above) lifting the spirits of a nation devastated by tsunamis.
The term “first gentleman” has become a reality in numerous countries around the world where women have taken over top leadership roles.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2010, there was an estimated 154,000 fathers who were unemployed for at least a year to take care of their children 15 years or younger. That is out of an estimated number of 70.1 million dads in America. That makes just .22% of total fathers, stay-at-home dads.
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| First gentleman Devisingh Ramsingh Shekhawat of Indiawith Queen Elizabeth II |
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2010, there was an estimated 154,000 fathers who were unemployed for at least a year to take care of their children 15 years or younger. That is out of an estimated number of 70.1 million dads in America. That makes just .22% of total fathers, stay-at-home dads.
Although women are noticeably making progress in turning the “stay-at-home wife” role completely around, men are still a huge majority in positions in power and jobs that require a high amount of skill. Male engineers still build the newest computers and create the latest software. Even though Hillary Clinton (below) is the Secretary of State, the situation room is still full of male decision makers. Meg Whitman could be the chief executive at Hewlitt-Packard, but do you think the board room is occupied by other female executives?
Kimberly Ellis, for the San Francisco Chronicle, writes that only 27% of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors are women and the U.S. ranks 69 out of 188 countries with the most female representation in their government.
One obstacle that could be stunning the growth of change is tradition. Men might want to follow in the footsteps of their fathers in taking over the family business or becoming engineers like their dad. Women might want to stay at home because that was what their mothers did and they look up to them. Daughters were even frowned upon in some countries in Asia. During the 70's, when households were limited to having just one child, families preferred boys to carry out the family name and to work to keep the family business alive.
Maldonado-Colon says, "Parents from fields other than engineering considered other options for their daughters. In my family my brother was encouraged to become an engineer or a surveyor, I was not."
Kimberly Ellis, for the San Francisco Chronicle, writes that only 27% of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors are women and the U.S. ranks 69 out of 188 countries with the most female representation in their government.
One obstacle that could be stunning the growth of change is tradition. Men might want to follow in the footsteps of their fathers in taking over the family business or becoming engineers like their dad. Women might want to stay at home because that was what their mothers did and they look up to them. Daughters were even frowned upon in some countries in Asia. During the 70's, when households were limited to having just one child, families preferred boys to carry out the family name and to work to keep the family business alive.
Maldonado-Colon says, "Parents from fields other than engineering considered other options for their daughters. In my family my brother was encouraged to become an engineer or a surveyor, I was not."
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| United States Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton |
The programs we choose are the start of our career paths. If somebody chooses to major in aerospace engineering, chances are, they won't be defending anybody in front of a court. That person studied to learn the dynamics of a plane in flight, not to pass the bar exam. The question is whether that person is a male or female. Chances are, a man will be working on a jet engine and a woman will be wearing a suit with a briefcase of evidence.
But this is America, so the chance of change is always there. NCAA Division I schools implemented a policy called Title IX, which requires schools to keep a balanced number of male and female athletic programs. The policy is used to keep opportunities fair for male and female student athletes. Maybe this policy could spill over to college majors. It might work, but then again, it might not.
Maldonado-Colon brightly puts it this way, "we continue evolving, accepting, and promoting new perspectives. Other cultures that come into the US consider that engineering is open to all, and that teaching is a very honorable profession for their men. Thus, we hope that in future years, as salaries improve and the profession reaches higher appreciation levels, we will see more men in education."
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