For the first time in history, a major U.S. political party has a female presidential nominee. What better way to celebrate that first then to explore a few careers where women are typically under-represented.
The progress of women in America’s workforce has been steadily climbing over the last 40 years or so, albeit slowly. Here are some interesting facts:
- 40% of women in the workforce have college degrees, up from 11.2% in 1970.
- Females working full-time make on average 83% of what their male counterparts do, up from 62% in 1979.
- In 2014, 57% of the total workforce were females, up from one-third following World War II, but down from the high of 60% in1999.
- As far as married couples, in 2013, 29% of wives earned more than their husbands, up from 18% in 1987.
- Out of the 10.7 million military veterans in the workforce in 2014, 13% were female.
While most working females tend to gravitate toward healthcare, teaching and accounting, 90%, 81% and 63% respectively, here are three cleared professions that are typically male-dominated career fields:
Law Enforcement
- Total Workforce: 680,000
- Total Job Projected Outlook through 2024: 5% (average)
- Percent females in total force: 12.4%
- Average weekly female salary: $743
- Percent of wage earned by male counterparts: 71.2%
Civil Engineer
- Total Workforce: 281,400
- Total Job Projected Outlook through 2024: 8% (average)
- Percent of females in total force: 16.5%
- Average weekly female salary: $1,275
- Percent of wage earned by male counterparts: 90.7%
Computer Programmer
- Total Workforce: 328,600
- Total Job Projected Outlook through 2024: -8% (decline)
- Percent of females in total force: 21.4%
- Average weekly female salary: $1,253
- Percent of wage earned by male counterparts: 86.6%
The numbers in these sample career fields are encouraging for women in the workforce and further support the direction America is heading in regard to females continuing to make strides in these typically male-dominated careers. While as a nation and a world we are not there yet in regards to equality in the workplace, females have come a long way since the Women’s Suffrage Movement of the 1920s.
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