Please refer to the links from Blackboard as well as those I include in this post and p. 241 of your textbook to help inform your comments.
The following link provides CNU enrollment figures categorized by gender and race. In summary, undergraduate enrollment is currently at 45% male and 55% female, which is comparable to the national figures shared in the textbook (though it is six years old now, wow). National projections continue to point to higher female enrollment. Situate this analysis within the textbook’s description of gendered learning styles (there’s a handy chart on p. 239) and answer the following questions.
What effect will the differential between men and women have on them and CNU’s future? Will a surplus of educated women allow more women to attain jobs that were once awarded to men? How might the disparity alter social relationships? Will men experience difficulty establishing lasting relationships with women who are better educated than they are?
Gender Communication Summer 2009 
I don’t know if this is a rumor, but I was under the assumption that colleges were required to accept a certain number of boys and girls, as well as minorities to continue to receive funding. If this rumor is in fact correct, than the percentages WOULD remain fairly the same for years. Right?
I don’t believe there is ever going to be a time in CNU’s future where it is going to become an all-girl school, especially with the way the economy is. While the book says boys have been skipping college because they can receive high-paying jobs without a college degree, I believe that is going to change. Good high-paying jobs are hard to come by today and any jobs for that matter. Because of this people are choosing to go back to school or remain in school longer to receive higher credentials. Thus making them more competitive against others when looking for a job again.
http://www.mortgageloan.com/job-market-woes-go-back-to-school-2970
Women are being found working in more authoritative positions today, however I don’t believe women are going to take over and the gender roles of men working and women staying at home is going to flip flop. I believe that we are going to see a growing number of women working full-time then coming home to take care of their family.
I don’t think much will change in terms of relationships between men and women. It sounds like for the questions that one would think since women can hold more authoritative positions becuase of their better education than men that they would change. This could be the case. However, I read in the text about females who held administrator positions in the school system. It said that women would view this type of position as an opportunity to set educational goals supported by a value system that teacher serving, a caring nature and relationships. They learned to make this their mission, through being a teacher for years. Men on the other hand viewed administrative positions as a status of power. Both of these examples prove that women and men stay true to their gendered identities even if it means women are entering in the male-dominated career realm.
The book stated on page 248, “Prior to the passing of the Title IX in 1972, many colleges had quotas for women. Title IX prohibits schools that receive tax dollars from discriminating on the basis of sex…” Therefore that was something of the past and according to the book is no longer acceptable. I do feel that it is possible for some instances to slip through the cracks, however according to the book Title IX prohibits this notion.
I don’t know if this is a rumor, but I was under the assumption that colleges were required to accept only a certain number of males, females and minorities. With that being said, the percentages would remain fairly similar for years. Right?
With the current state of the economy, jobs are hard to come by. Therefore, individuals are putting careers off and going back to school. They choose to do this to make themselves more competitive in comparison to others when searching for a job since they will have more qualifications and credentials.
http://www.mortgageloan.com/job-market-woes-go-back-to-school-2970
While women are entering in to a male-dominated workforce, women are staying true to their gendered identities. The text talks about how women and men view authoritative positions differently. Women, coming from a background of teaching for years, see it as an opportunity to build relationships, a value system and educational goals. Men, on the other hand, see it as a status of power. The text does explain that women don’t stay in these positions long because of the disagreements with men. However, because women and men are staying true to their gendered identities, I don’t believe women being in a more powerful position will hinder the two to continue long-lasting relationships. There is a chance that men won’t feel as confident, but I don’t think it will ruin anything.
I thought there was some sort of quota that had to be met too. I didn’t know what it was. But I remember that when I was looking at different colleges to apply to the percentages of males, females, and minorities were broken down and very publicized. But I mean I guess you see schools like JMU that all primarily female by a long shot, so there probably isn’t an exact number they have to be at. I personally think that it should be about 50/50 to the most functional.
I don’t remember if it was someone I talked to in Admissions at CNU, or if it was Dr. Baughman who said it in COMM 250 this past semester, but I remember SOMEONE telling me that if colleges and universities accepted students without knowing their sex, the percentage of women would be grossly higher compared to the percentage of men (I think she said something like as much as 90%-10%).
I highly doubt any college or university is going to become a single-gender school in the near future. On the contrary, there have been some schools that were formerly only for men or only for women that have recently opened their doors to the opposite sex, whether it was their graduate or undergraduate programs.
I recall when I was giving a tour of CNU once, a father asked me what the gender breakdown was. I told him the statistic and he then proceeded to ask if I felt like our campus was more dominated by women, and if I thought women were given a preference in my classes and at CNU overall. I had never thought about it before, but to me, I do not feel like there are more women on CNU’s campus than there are men. What do you all think?
I work in the Admissions office, and I know that they do not have to enroll a certain amount of boys versus girls and so forth. But what they do have to do is look at race, and who is a minority. As long as the grades are good boys and girls have an equal chance of getting into a university. Some reasons why girls might get in over boys is because as the book says girls tend to be more involved with student government and honor societies.
Oh, OK. It must have been Dr. B then.
Sorry, off-topic: Kim, are you in Newport News?
Have the male:female ratios for all colleges changed, or just liberal arts ones? I can see liberal arts schools being more appealing to women because there is less focus on an individual subject, like math or science, and more opportunities to explore different majors. I remember when I visited Virginia Tech back in high school, the male: female ratio was 60% to 40%. I am guessing more males attend there because there is greater emphasis on engineering, science, etc… So my question is, at what colleges and universities are males the majority, other an the obvious all-male schools?
I think that the difference of male and female enrollment in college will affect the male to female ratio in the workplace. With more women getting an education there will be more women filling higher positions. I think that it will also affect gender roles at home because if more women are attending college the larger the possibility those women will obtain jobs outside of the home and maybe more men will stay at home. I’ve actually heard from a lot guys that they would love to stay at home with the kids rather than have a job outside of the home. I think that the differential between men and women will affect CNU’s future by increasing the desire to have more male enrollment. If women enrollment continues to increase I think CNU could try to admit more men just to even out the male to female ratio.
I do believe that with a surplus of educated women will allow for more women to attain jobs that were attained by men. If more women are going to college than men then they will be more qualified for the more authoritative jobs that men have now. With fewer men going to college I think they will have fewer opportunities to receive the higher position jobs they have now if it was based off of how much higher education you have. I think now a day you see more men in more job positions that do not need a 4 year college degree education like a mechanic. Also I believe more men choose to take other paths in life after high school. I remember in high school military recruits would come to our school all the time to try and recruit people (mostly men) right out of high school which could have influenced their decision to not attend college.
I think the disparity could also alter social relationships allowing women the chance to socialize more with their peers and develop friendships in college. I think that if fewer men attended college and went right into getting a job it could be harder for them to develop social relationships because they might not be working with people their age, inhibiting them from developing social relationships with their peers.
I definitely believe it is possible for men to develop lasting relationships with women who have a higher education as long as they are not intimated or jealous of the woman. I think that it could hurt some men’s egos if their girlfriend or wife is more educated and has a better job than them so as long as they do not mind I think they can make it work.
I agree with what you are saying in that the fact that more women are coming out of college with a degree will get them jobs rather then not. However I still feel that there are certain jobs that are for certain genders. I mentioned this in an earlier post as well. There are just some jobs that are for women and some that are for men. Construction for example. And not that women aren’t smart enough to do the job its just the physical aspect of certain jobs women cannot handle. At the same time there are things that men cannot do that women can.
I agree that some jobs are gender specific as well but do you think that the workplace will want someone who has a higher education, if so this might change the typical gender specific jobs.
I would have to say that gendered jobs are a product of both personality differences and ability. For both of those reasons I do not believe we will entirely break the gender barrier within the career world. I do believe, however, that because women are becoming more educated, their ability has increased in fields commonly dominated by males and thus allow them to achieve jobs in those fields.
I thought the same thing as Molly-will gender specific jobs change with the change in education?
And with the military topic, it has been in my personal experience that though more men join the military, the biggest reason many young men join is to get their college paid for. The military will cover the entire cost of schooling in exchange for active duty, so it’s not really that men just hop right into the military, they typically tend to attend college first.
As with most other people’s analysis’, I think that CNU is going to have to work harder to attract more males if the trend continues. Things that attract males to schools, like sports and majors will have to be upped to compensate for the amount of women that are entering the campus with their own interests in mind. (It is funny to me to think about this statistic being a member of Greek Life here at CNU since there are more fraternities than sororities on campus and the way a new organization is started is based on interest and numbers in the system. I just found that interesting when I thought about this statistic, it doesn’t really relate to the education spectrum.) I also think about the majors offered at CNU and the style of learning that is encouraged here, it is more geared towards a female mind. It seems to me that when you talk to most guys, they are some sort of science or business major and women comprise most of the other majors. Just look at our major, COMM, how many females are in this class? Males? How often is that the case in your COMM classes, the huge difference in numbers? Even things like our Freshman Seminars where we are encouraged to talk and put our ideas out there-those are more geared toward the female style of learning. I know personally I like a class where we have a group project and the teacher wants our opinion as part of the classroom. Whenever I’m in those group projects though, it has been my experience that the guys just want to get the information out there and that’s about their only contribution to the group process, whereas the girls will discuss the options more.
The fact that more women are attending school all around makes for a more educated generation of women that could potentially break more barriers in the future. It also allows for a diversity in workplaces, which in my opinion isn’t a bad thing when either females break into a field or males break into a field, since that can offer more opinions and creativity. It will make for more competition in the work world since employers want the most qualified person for the job and if it happens to be a woman, then so be it. I do wonder what the statistics of men entering trade schools and exploring other options after high school versus women exploring those other options are though.
A woman in more power is always going to affect some men, it’s just how it’s always going to be. There will always be men who have been raised in a very old-fashioned way who will socialize his children to think the way he does. That type of man will not be able to build a lasting relationship with a powerful woman of any sort, romantic or platonic. If better education equals power in that situation, then it will be a problem. I also think that the type of learning that is going on in many colleges with the Liberal Arts model and the fact that many men in college have dealt with being outnumbered by women in classrooms that there will also be a new era of men who can accept a more educated and powerful woman.
I did not mean to reply in your little comment thread! Ooops! 😦
I agree that some jobs are stereotypically known for having female or male workers, however i do not feel as though it is because physically some may not be able to handle it. I think that certain jobs appeal to men and women differently. Because women put so much emphasis on relationships with people and interaction, then jobs that incorporate these aspects will be appealing to women. This could be why construction for example, is typically known as a male’s job because it does not appeal to women in the same way that it does men. Men like to be active and competetive even in the workplace, so those are the types of jobs that appeal to them.
I think it is interesting that Lauren noted a possible reason less men are going to college. I was wondering about this… it makes sense that men may be choosing the military over college, immediatly after high school. It would be interesting to see the percentages for this. I also was thinking more men enter into the professional type careers and programs. More men bencome electricians, mechanics, and technicians. Because more men are drawn to careers such as these, this could be another possible explanation for why more women attend college.
I agree that more women attending college will definitly have effects. I also believe it will affect ratios in the workplace. As more and more women attend college they will be more inclined to get jobs, not just have a family. I think the increase of women in college also contributes to women marrying at a later age and having children at a later age. When women continue to advance their education things such as marriage and having children are not always an immediate priority. Also, if more women are working, especially if high-level jobs, they may be less likely to marry or have children.
I also definitly agree with Lauren that this will affect gender roles, which I believe will be a very good thing. It may no longer be the norm for women to be in the home while the male is the breadwinner. This would be helpful in ending gender stereotypes for men and women.
As for CNU, I do believe the differential will have an effect on the future. I think it is important to figure out why more girls are at CNU, there obviously is greater appeal for them. My prediction is size and athletics… This kind of goes along with male’s desire for competition. They may have more competition at larger schools, especially in regards to athletics. CNU will have to eventually find a way to appeal to more males, especially if their enrollment continues to decrease. This makes me think they are more critical of male students who apply, but we actually have learned the opposite, critics respond to male’s work more positively–interesting!
I’d like to think that with more women attending college they also will begin to hold more jobs that were formally held by men. This only seems natural. It wouldn’t make sense to hire a male without a college degree for an upper level position over a female with a college degree. However, all women do not go to college hoping to hold a high power position. Many still go to college to meet their ‘rich husband’ as sad as that is. Also, some go to college to have something to fall back on. Apart from that, I do think women will hold more positions in general.
In regards to social relationships, I hope the disparity has a positive effect. As I already said, I think this will help to end stereotypes. Ultimatly, this would make men and women more equal, and people no longer believe men and smarter than women. I do believe men can have longlasting relationships with women who are better educated than they are, however, it may be a challenge. Since men naturally are more competitive, and desire power, a women who is better educated may come off as a threat. She may especially be a threat to his masculinity. I feel like the man would have to be very secure, and not try to compete with her, or be threatened by her education for the relationship to last. From the woman’s point of view, she may not want a relationship with a man who is not as well educated. In the chapter on relationships we learned women typically desire a man who is more intelligent than her. With this, it seems likely that she would be more inclined to have a relationship with someone who has a similar educational background.
I also hope that all the changes with women holding more power and positions will be a positive one. I hope that this new type of educated female is also accompanied by a new type of educated male.
The text states that one reason male enrollment rates are declining is “that men may be accepting high paying jobs that do not require a college degree.” While I realize the text may be refering to trades (such as a mechanic or electrician), what if corporations prefer males over females as a discriminatory matter? Not to be a negative Nancy, but do you think some corporations would hire a less qualified male, over a more qualified female? How do you think gender discrimination will have an effect (or if it will have an effect) on the future?
Basically, can declining male enrollment rates be linked to the idea that men may feel dominant/assertive/confident enough to move up in a corporation without a degree?
I definitely think it’s a possibility that the reason more men pursue careers without a college education could be linked to their assertiveness in pursuing a career in a corporation. I also think there are some other factors to consider:
I know that for some of my friend’s families, they pay for their daughter to go to school, but ask much more of their son. They either require him to pay for all or more of his schooling than they do of their daughter. Perhaps this lessens the appeal of a college education for a male – the easier and more attractive route would be to work instead of go to school.
I definitely think that in some ways, women pursue a higher education because they are scared of what may happen if they do not. On the flip side, I suppose there are males who do the same- but it seems like it’s less of a concern in regards to their attainment of financial success.
To be honest I think the stereotype of the women staying at home while the man goes out and works is not really how people think it is supposed to be anymore. I in no way think that people expect women to stay home and tend to the house anymore. That stereotype is only going to be around as long as people continue to talk about it. I don’t know though, I am a man so this is my point of view but as a woman do you feel there is pressure on you to stay at home when you get married or not? I will say that I do feel pressure to provide for my family when I get one and that is half of the stereotype so maybe I am wrong.
I agree completely. Not to open up a can of worms, but I think the same holds true for the race issue. People need to LET IT GO. Women, in general, like to take care of their families. Maybe women find pleasure in going to work and coming home to a family they can cook for; couldn’t be a way to unwind.
To answer your question, I don’t feel pressure to stay at home when I get married. However, it is a choice that I’m going to make. There is no one specifically telling women to stay at home. And I don’t see how you can blame society, because I feel like it supports women getting into the workforce and empowering them.
I feel like in a marriage, as long as both parties are providing for the family and they are open about what constitutes as “providing”, there shouldn’t be an issue. Who cares what everyone else thinks, you know!? LET IT GO
I completely agree with you vrobbins. Like race, I feel issues such as these will dissipate with time.
To comment on what you said about how some women come to college just to meet theri future husband…I unfortunatley have heard about this. My roomate was telling me about an experience in class she had when her professor asked all the students why they were in college and what they expected to get out of and a few girls said the reason they came to college was to meet a potential husband, and they said they probably wouldn’t even use their major…it’s sad to think that that is the only reason some girls come to college. It’s fine if girls come to college even though they know they want to be a housewife if they are coming to further their education, but it is even better when they come to college to use their major in some sort of field.
I think some people come to college because it just seems like the next step after graduation. I, like many others, would have a hard time answering that question because I never was given an explanation why I was to go to college. I’m hear because that is what comes after High School. Can anyone else relate?
Because women tend to choose males that are more intelligent than them, it may be difficult for these educated females to also have a family. If both of the people in these relationships are somewhat career driven it may be difficult to find time to devote to having children. Maybe the more educated females will start preferring males that are of the same intelligence or less because of this issue. A male with less education may feel more obliged to stay at home and care for children if the female was making more money away from home.
Torrie, I would definitely agree. I think that’s why we have a lot of undeclared majors (I being one) freshman year. We’re raises in a society where success is the goal and we all know we have to provide for ourselves, so college is the next step. We don’t know what we want to do, but we know where we have to be to achieve those goals.
Katelyn, I really liked the point you made about what makes CNU more appealing to females as compared to males. Since CNU is smaller, some males may interpret that as a less competitive atmosphere than one found at a larger school. Standing out among 27,000 students can be considered more impressive than standing out among 4,800. Also, the big-time Division I sports teams are not only hugely competitive, but bring big-time attention as well. Also, larger schools are more likely to offer more majors related to computer science and technical fields which, as the text points out, appeals to men more.
It made me decide to look at some of the other Virginia schools. This comes from looking up the schools on the College Board website. I looked up the largest schools in Virginia.
UVA: 57% women, 43% men
VT: 45% women, 55% men
VCU: 59% women, 41% men
GMU: 53% women, 47% men
JMU: 61% women, 39% men
Of all these schools, Virginia Tech was the only one with men being in the majority. Therefore, athletics, sports programs, and the large size are not the main reasons why CNU is not as appealing to men. I took a look at Georgia Tech’s statistics:
68% men
32% women
Virginia TECH and Georgia TECH appeal to men more because they are institutes of technology. Therefore, it is the type of majors a school offers that appeals to men the most. CNU, VCU, JMU, GMU, and UVA are colleges that have a bent toward liberal arts education. Those types of schools offer more majors and a learning environment that appeals to women.
It is interesting to collaborate the information in the text about gendered learning styles with the national as well as CNU enrollment figures. One thing that I think is missing in this comparison is that while the national & CNU figures note the percentages ATTENDED, they don’t suggest how many APPLIED. I feel that how many applied is somewhat important too- as many men may have applied may have declined as another option came along such as joining the army or attending a more technically based school.
Nonetheless, the gendered learning styles are interesting to note. Many of the characteristics listed under the males descriptions suggest more career based structures (hierarchial, competitiveness) while the women’s descriptons (participation, reflection) suggest much of which a college experience consists of (in particular, a liberal arts university such as CNU).
If the female ratio begins to increase, I believe that CNU and other colleges may begin to let males into their universities with lessened requirements. I know right now, this is happening at JMU- as the female to male ratio is about 3 to 1. This also may mean that the females who do make it into CNU as well as other schools will need to be more competitive to be admitted.
I suppose having more educated women will result in more women in the workplace. I’m not sure though, as many of the men who do not attend college right away either attend later or enter into fields that do not require a college education, but do allow for significant promotion and have the potential to result in financial success. It seems that women have a harder time finding such financial success without attendance to college- but perhaps this is because women do not often pursue careers such as electricians, contractors, and business owners (perhaps because of gendered expectations?).
This disparity certainly has the potential to affect social relationships. It may result in women with higher paying jobs than spouses, or the women being the prominent financial provider. Although, because children are physical dependant on their mothers presence (breastfeeding,etc) – it may be that women still desire to stay home and focus on being a mother during the early years of their childrens life- instead of being in the workplace. It seems somewhat hard to predict.
Once again, this may affect a man’s ego. However, I think this difference already exists in relationships/marriages I see. Just because a women has obtained a higher education, or is educated in acertain field, does not necessarily mean she is more intelligent and vic versa. Just as I am more intelligent in some academic areas, as is my boyfriend in others. In our relationship anyways, this isn’t a debatable subject- and does not seem to be a problem.
That is a great idea. I think they should have the study of who applied vs who got in. The book talks about how women are doing overall better in academics than men, but I still think it would be interesting to see if there are a larger number applying, but not getting in. I remember when I told my oldest sister what my GPA had to be to get into CNU and she was shocked. She went GMU almost 10 years before me and her GPA was about .5 lower. Maybe with the increase in requirements to get into school a generation of boys did not make the cut and started the trend of not going to college….just an idea.
I agree with Jessie, that is a really great idea. A study should be put in order. Women might have a higher GPA so this could be a reason more women are getting in, but this doesn’t men that men aren’t trying to get into school.
I am pretty certain that there are more female applicants than male applicants (at least concerning CNU’s admissions), but do not take my word for it. I have no data or statistics to back it up, just my own personal belief and reasoning.
To go along with your reasoning: perhaps more women feel/think/need a degree in order to make it in the workplace. Perhaps many men do not feel as if a degree is essential or even necessary to succeeding in the workplace. Therefore, since women view it as much more of a necessity, they are the ones that are applying.
To go along with Torrie’s reasoning: perhaps more parents are more encouraging of their daughter(s) to go to college than their son(s). Perhaps parents believe their daughter(s) need a degree to be successful, but do not believe the same is true for their son(s). They feel as though college IS the next step in the life of a woman. Men are perceived to have many more options for their next step.
Also…
Perhaps women may have higher GPAs (for the data and the textbook supports that), but perhaps men my have higher SAT and ACT scores. It may be that the men applying to colleges (including CNU) are able to get in not based on their GPAs, but on their standardized test scores.
Several schools such as CNU have allowed for those with GPAs of a 3.5 or higher opt to not include their test scores as part of their application (unless they are applying for specialized programs such as PLP and the Honors Program).
Does this send a message of how higher education is beginning to view standardized testing as less of a predictor of a success? With its believed bias toward males and several studies that have indicated GPA is a better predictor of success, the very key that many men have been using to get into college is starting to count less.
It is wonderful that an abundant number of women are taking the right measures to get into college and elevate their status through hard work. even though most classes and test are geared to males bias, women are rising to the occasion and becoming very successful. I think that since men were solely the money makers for so many decades and women were the home makers, that now the roles are slowly becoming intermixed and the line between who stays and home and who works is blurred. Women are encouraged to go to school and become independents so they wont have to depend on a man to be supported by. Men recognized that women can support themselves these days, and in my opinion this is a result of added laziness on the part of a man’s goals in terms of getting a college degree. It is a new age, because women are now able to claim a highly elevated status that a century ago only men could obtain. Since women can be independent men don’t necessarily need to be the main provider that they once had to be. A women can be paid more these days than a man, if she tries hard enough. I may even intimidate some men that women don’t always need to be taken care of. other men like the idea. Once a upon a time women were the ones saying “I need to marry a rich husband so I can feel secure.” Now i hear some of my male friends saying that need to marry a rich woman so they can buy nice things and wont have to work as hard; since most women are college educated they don’t have to depend on a man anymore to support them.
It is for these reason that i believe men are more reluctant to start college and more women are chasing the dream of power. with the increased number of women obtaining a good education i do agree that they will start taking jobs that once belong solely to men. Social relationships will be altered because educated women no longer need a man for security; money security. We (as women) can do fine on our own with a man and that is something that most men, i believe, will have to get used to. Some men do not like to idea of a women being their support and that is a problem that women in the work force will have to deal with. A lot of men still like the feeling of dominance and disrespect women to show their strength over them. However, i think that when it comes to dating that men are attracted to a strong women that can hold her own but also show that she can use a man in her life. I know that men do not like to be used for their money, so the more a women can make for her self the more attractive she is. The same goes for men.
As for men having difficulty making long term commitments with women, i don’t think they will have trouble as long as the women can show that they are not all powerful and do need a men to rely on in some areas of their life, if not financially. Men need to be needed, if a women was completely independent that would be very unattractive to men and she would not even need a man at that point.
I agree I think times are changing. My mother strictly enforced the ‘be independent and not let a man take care of you’ speech. She always raised me not to take the short cuts and work for what I want. Since this was forced on me, I think starting in middle school I worked extra hard, so I could get good grades. In seventh grade I was thinking what would look good to colleges. One of my brothers use to laugh and say I was a 30 year old women in a 7th graders body. There was always that fear of falling in the cracks. I never wanted to disappoint and always worked harder to become independent. I feel all women get this from their parents and work hard to achieve their goals. This does not mean I think men are not working for their goals, but I do think with their history independence is automatically given to them. I think they have to make less of a goal of become independent and powerful.
I do not think the smaller percentage will change CNU’s future. I would start to worry when the percentage is above 65% in one groups favor. I would like to think that people, women or men, are getting the job they deserve. I do feel like women are taking some jobs that were more awarded to men, but I feel like that has been happening over the years. At one point almost every job was a “man’s” job, because women did not work. In the future, I think women will have the higher power. More women are in college than men right now, so women will most likely getting the better jobs. Better jobs mean more money to bring home, and usually the person bringing home the most money is in power. Social relationships have a shift. I am positive some men will have issues with this. Even now, when I pay for a dinner or anything, my boyfriend feels bad. I have money, so I do not mind spending it on him. He buys the majority of our meals, but when I do pay he feels bad. Men have been raised to ‘take care of their women,’ but I think it is time the care taking is spilt evenly. I do not think women should take all the power. Women know what it feels like to be lower than someone else; it sucks, so they should fix relationships by doing what should have always been done; make things equal.
I definitely agree with making things equal, not taking them away. [I am in the same boat with my boyfriend, the very few times he has let me get the check in our relationship he is always like “You shouldn’t be buying that, I’m supposed to” and I feel that since I have the ability to, I can purchase some things!]
I also hope that it will be the person most qualified for the job, regardless of gender, that is getting the job.
What do you mean by women will have the higher power? Are you just talking about in the work place more women will be mens bosses, or are you talking government, or CEO’s of companies, or all of the above? Haha I am just wondering!
I offer to pay for movie tickets and dinners when my boyfriend and I go out to dinner as well. However, he doesn’t ever really feel bad about it. The reason is because of how his family has raised him. Both his mom and dad are fairly equal when it comes to handling “business” in his family. Therefore, in our relationship we are seen as equals. He is very chivalrous, but practical. We both have hopes of spending a long time together and we know that it’s not fair to suck the other person dry, so why not take turns paying. There isn’t a power issue here whatsoever.
I also agree it is really nice to be able to apply the our textbook to CNU. It is really nice to see that there are so many women are going college and I really believe there will be many changes because of this. If more women are going to school, companies might see them as more qualified, which would men women would eventually be more prevalent in the work force. The higher number of women in college does not really shock me because after high school there are not as many options for women as there are for men after high school.
With the higher percentage of women going to school, I have to wonder how this will affect the gender role? Will women become start to become more dominate if they are in these higher power jobs? Also how will this effect the family life? Will men start to stay in the home and raise the children while the women are at work, because they are the ones with the college degree? More women enrolled in college will bring up many new issues that never have been seen in the past.
I think this will also have an effect on relationships. If women are more educated men might like they are not on the same level as the women, and be too afraid to ask a woman out. This might switch the power roles and women might start asking men out.
I think that CNU will continue to stay around the same percentages, because we are going along with the nations averages. If the nations percentages rise a ton, I believe CNU will follow.
For some reason it has been saying that I’ve already submitted this. If I have, I’m sorry.
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I don’t know if this is a rumor, but I was under the assumption that colleges were required to accept only a certain number of males, females and minorities. With that being said, the percentages would remain fairly similar for years. Right?
With the current state of the economy, jobs are hard to come by. Therefore, individuals are putting careers off and going back to school. They choose to do this to make themselves more competitive in comparison to others when searching for a job since they will have more qualifications and credentials.
http://www.mortgageloan.com/job-market-woes-go-back-to-school-2970
While women are entering in to a male-dominated workforce, women are staying true to their gendered identities. The text talks about how women and men view authoritative positions differently. Women, coming from a background of teaching for years, see it as an opportunity to build relationships, a value system and educational goals. Men, on the other hand, see it as a status of power. The text does explain that women don’t stay in these positions long because of the disagreements with men. However, because women and men are staying true to their gendered identities, I don’t believe women being in a more powerful position will hinder the two to continue long-lasting relationships. There is a chance that men won’t feel as confident, but I don’t think it will ruin anything.
The very first thing that I noticed is that there are more women than men in the graduate program at CNU. This is surprising because Gamble and Gamble stated that while women are higher in number when attending college, more men go further with their education to receive MBA’s and PhD’s. In regards to CNU I think the biggest issue is going to be racial differences. I do not think that the larger female population will effect CNU as much as the growing rate of African American students. The campus is overwhelmingly white, but in the last year the African American numbers have jumped slightly. If we look back to fall 2003 however the number of African American women enrolled has declined a great deal. The book suggests that in 1997 81% African American were enrolled in college than in 1977. That is a huge leap and at CNU African American numbers are growing but still have not again reached the high number that they had in 2003.
I do believe that due to the surplus of women there will be more competition for the men in regards to predominately male jobs. At first I think men will still be awarded the better jobs overall but women will give the men a run for their money. This will raise the bar for everyone and in due time women will begin to take jobs that a woman never held before. When men see the success rate then women will begin to have more of an influence on the work force.
Men can be threatened by strong women. This can affect romantic relationship. We may start to see technology like in vitro fertilization taking precedence over the natural way of having babies. Successful business women may to choose to stay single but have families, thus shifting family dynamics further and further away from the nuclear family.
In my experience I know my husband can feel threatened at times by my intelligence. I went to college he did not. We are a walking stereotype of the progress that women have made, and the shift of more women attending college than men. In the future once I have obtained my MBA and later my PhD I am certain we will cross bumps in the road due to our differences in intelligence and in education.
There might be more women than men in the graduate program at CNU because of the popularity of the five-year MAT program. As we all know, a teacher at the elementary and secondary school levels is typically a woman.
Although CNU offers graduate programs in computer science and applied physics and environmental science (which may appeal more to men than to women), I feel as though most students who want to pursue graduate degrees in those fields would be more inclined to go to a more specialized school.
I have to agree with many of the people’s posts before me in that I do believe that the differences of males and females enrolled in college and that there being more females, will differentiate the work place. Females are attending an graduating college more than men and yes this will change the work environment, but as stated at the beginning of the posts, I believe that there are jobs that are more qualified for the different sexes. This is not a hit on a woman’s education but rather the physicality to certain jobs that men a able to do more easily than women.
The job market has long been developing and with more women having an education, and I do believe that many of the jobs that men have had throughout the decades women are becoming qualified if not more than men are and women are going to take those jobs away from men. Like in a previous blog activity I named many woman that are taking over politics and the business world, and I believe that this only that start for this. Women will start to take over the job market but I do believe that men still have their place and this advancement of women is equaling out the job atmosphere that has been long overdue.
I agree with the previous post above mine that it is weird that there are more women than men in the CNU graduate program than the book leads us to believe, but this book was published in 2003 and there has been a lot of change since then. More women are going to college since then which in turn is leading more women into graduate school and further on through school. Although it is strange that CNU has more women in graduate school, in a lot of ways it is not strange because of the development of women in education and how they are bettering themselves then they did traditionally.
CNU is following the national averages when it comes to enrollment and I believe that they will continue to keep it semi equal, and if there is a major discrepancy with the numbers they will find a way to equal them out or follow the example set by the national averages.
We have all of this discussion about the trends, but why is this the new trend? Is this a result of more women desiring education or less men desiring education? Or Both? What are yalls thoughts. We talk and talk about the trends. By why is it that there are less males? Anyone have any ideas?
I think it is great that increasingly more women are getting educated. From a mans poin to of view I have no problem with women being educated and do not think there is any reason I should be smarter or given more opportunities. I think that one effect this will have on CNU is as CNU produces more female graduates there will be more women who make it in the professional work place and CNU could possibly get the stereotype of the place women go if they want to succeed. I see no reason why the number of women who are enrolled should not continue to rise over the next few years.
Honestly I think the increase of educated women will make the competition for jobs held by men much more intense and some women will have the opportunity to attain these jobs. I still think that the stereotype of men being the authoritative figure is going to harm women’s chances in the workplace for a little while. For example something we just read in Chapter 9 said that most men are principals at schools while women are teachers. I am no expert but there is nothing to me that suggests that trend will not continue in the future. I would like to see more women be able to become principals and see more men choose to be teachers but due to gender stereotypes people just see women as teachers and men as principals.
I honestly do not think it will make it harder for men to develop lasting relationships with educated women. I think our generation is very used to women being equals with us for the most part and while it is still hard for women to get some jobs they are in many more powerful positions now than were available for our parents. Because of this it would not be weird to me for a woman who has been to graduate school and has her own career and does not need me to provide all the income for the family.
In response to the comments made in your second paragraph. Your are right there is noting tangible to suggest that the trend will not continue, but with the changing times we live in I believe there are intangibles that will effect the trend. For example we are currently a changing culture that is becoming more open about gender specifics and changing them. More men are taking typically female jobs and vice versa, so with that I think more women will become principles and more men will become teachers and cast gender stereotypes behind.
Gendered learning styles have definitely changed. As women enrollment rates are on the rise, I believe it can be partly linked to competiveness in females to acquire an equal status. I feel that women are becoming more independent in their education as well as more proactive as they work hard to pursue their dreams. In general, as a woman, I feel that I have something to prove. I know that I can do just as good of a job as a male can, but for society to realize my potential, I must work hard and excel in my education (perhaps more than a male would have).
I am unsure of how the difference in enrollment will affect society. My curiousity comes in wanting to know why male enrollment rates have dropped. Do males think they can move up in a corporation without a degree or are males finding new goals and trades in life? I hope that discrimination of sexes does not inhibit hard working, qualified women to obtain jobs. It is hard for me to say that the most qualified person always gets the job, because I am not sure how true that is in our society. Though with changing times, I do not feel it will be as much of an issue.
If women dominate the work force, social relationships are likely to feel a large impact. Social norms will change, perhaps resulting in a more gender-nuetral society as men may take the role of raising the children or being more active around the house. I agree with mransome, as the power might shift within a male-female relationship, but I believe the change will be gradual and the idea of better educated women will be accepted.
This isn’t a reply to sbarmstrong…this is my response to the prompt. For some reason I can’t post my own comment…
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I don’t know if this is a rumor, but I was under the assumption that colleges were required to accept only a certain number of males, females and minorities. With that being said, the percentages would remain fairly similar for years. Right?
With the current state of the economy, jobs are hard to come by. Therefore, individuals are putting careers off and going back to school. They choose to do this to make themselves more competitive in comparison to others when searching for a job since they will have more qualifications and credentials.
http://www.mortgageloan.com/job-market-woes-go-back-to-school-2970
While women are entering in to a male-dominated workforce, women are staying true to their gendered identities. The text talks about how women and men view authoritative positions differently. Women, coming from a background of teaching for years, see it as an opportunity to build relationships, a value system and educational goals. Men, on the other hand, see it as a status of power. The text does explain that women don’t stay in these positions long because of the disagreements with men. However, because women and men are staying true to their gendered identities, I don’t believe women being in a more powerful position will hinder the two to continue long-lasting relationships. There is a chance that men won’t feel as confident, but I don’t think it will ruin anything.
Boy, you were having some difficulties, weren’t you, Torrie?
=)
I just wanted to respond to the questions sbarmstrong asked:
I don’t think it is being a negative nancy at all, to an extent it is reality. It is not common for more qualified women to not get jobs over men, who are not as qualified. Think of Hillary Clinton- TONS of people (mainly men) thought she wasn’t qualified to be President after she cried, so was thought of as too emotional. The same could happen to women in jobs. Companies may think they are not as fit to handle high stress jobs since they are more emotional, and also have children. Also, if a woman has children this is frequently held against her. It is interesting that it matters more when considering hiring a mother than father. I for sure think companies may simply prefer men. Even if the woman is better educated, she still faces certain stereotypes and barriers.
The difference in enrollment for males and females will hopefully result in the rise of female acceptance into the school. Hopefully CNU does not try to keep their ratio of females to males too incredibly equal. A cause of this could be that more capable females are turned down in place of a less capable males in order to fill a requirement.
I believe that the surplus of educated women will allow more women to attain jobs that once went to men. More jobs are requiring degrees and according to the book, more men are choosing not to go to college. I believe that competition in the job market will make it less possible for males to obtain a high paying job with no secondary school.
I think this change will cause social relationships to differ. I agree with one of the posts above me that this may lead to a more gender-neutral society. Gender role norms will hopefully become less rigid. Also it would be great if this led to women being looked at as more capable and dominant instead of so much focus being placed on appearance. This will lead to a rise in more males taking on nurturing and home care roles if women are fulfilling the economic provider role. This would be good as well because I think males have a lot to offer in the child-care department, but because of the gender role norms our society has created, they have not been given a chance to do this.
Hopefully men will embrace this change and will not have a problem establishing lasting relationships with women who are better educated. It may be difficult to form and hold a relationship though because if the educational levels are greatly different, there may be trouble communicating. Another downfall to this is some males may not be comfortable at social gatherings with the females peers and coworkers because of a bridge in the educational gap.
I agree with what you said in your first paragraph. It would be unfortunate if qualified females were rejected from CNU just because they were trying to keep the ratio of males to females equal. I’m not sure what CNU’s requirements are, but I know that some colleges do reject or accept based on gender ratios.
Many things will happen to CNU and its students over years because of the gender differential. I think that having a surplus of females at CNU is helping the males creating socializing skills to talk with females, I also think that the differential wont get much bigger than it is now because there are “those guys” that will sign up and attend a college simply because there are more females than males attending there. This being the case, unless CNU freaks out I think it will be fine in the future and should be happy with the way things are going, and continue to be a college with rapidly growing prestige.
I believe a surplus of educated women will allow more women to attain jobs that were once awarded to men. There are many jobs that are gender specific only because one gender was hired for that position in the past and yet many times people of the different gender that were more qualifies were passed over. With the rise in more educated women I believe that these boundaries will be broken and more women that are qualified will be hired.
I’m not currently aware of how the disparity might alter social relationships but it might be that more women will enter a male dominated workforce and that means where will be a completely different aspect to the social relationships of that workforce. Different topics will be brought up and not everything will be about work as us guys tend to talk about the task at hand all the time, with the lack of a break from the topic tensions can raise quickly. With more women in the workforce this may provide the break in the main topic causing work tensions to drop.
There will always be some men out there with egos far to big for themselves and will find it difficult to form a relationship or to continue a relationship with a woman that is more educated than he is. But with today’s culture I believe that more and more men will find this acceptable and be able to form and keep relationships with women that are more educated than they are.
I definitely agree with you said about the relationship between men and women in the workforce. Even though the media pokes fun at women in prominent positions in the workforce, I see that the men and women in today’s society have accepted that women can take on jobs that men have occupied in the past, such as jobs in the police force, law, or politics.
I agree with many of the people above me in saying that times are changing in the educational realm. The text states that percentages for men entering college or graduate programs is lower than it is for women. I think this is a result of rebellion against the 1950’s stay-at-home-mom stereotype. I just took a class on 1960’s cinema and society, and my final paper focused on women’s roles in the 1960’s. Prior to this decade, many women followed the stereotype of staying at home and being a housewife. As the 50’s came to a close, a dramatic change occurred in women’s behavior. They became more adventurous, more determined. More women were being admitted into college and entering the workforce. I read several articles about women going against the norm and taking a stand for themselves in society. This is still going strong today. We have women entering prominent positions in the workforce and in society, specifically politics. We’ve seen women run for presidential and vice presidential offices just in the past few years. If we asked the men and women of the 1950’s what they would think of a women president in the 21st century, I don’t know if they would think it was possible.
I think that the relationship between men and women amidst the changes in education and the workforce has been a little different. Instead of men always being in charge, women are taking leadership roles and actually being in higher positions than most men. While I know many men and women that have no problem with this concept, I see many portrayals in the media that discourage this act. For example, in the movie “Anchorman,” Veronica Corningstone becomes one of the new TV anchors for the news. Many of the men in the newsroom don’t see this as a “women’s place” and try to make her feel as uncomfortable and not welcome as possible. This makes Veronica even more determined to do her job and do it right.
I don’t think there has been a decrease in men applying to colleges. I think their work ethic has stayed the same, but women have definitely stepped it up over the years, breaking the status quo, and proving that they can be more than just housewives.
A few years ago when I was looking around at colleges to go to I recall that every school always told me the percentages of male and females. Generally the two numbers were close to 50% and I thought the college purposefully did this.
I think that the percentages will stay about the same in the future. Even though it becoming easier to get a good job out of high school, when you have higher education you have a better chance of getting a good job and generally when you have a degree you get paid more than someone working the same position without one. Plus more and more we are seeing older people (as in not right out of college) going to college to further their career. With the way the economy is the job force is becoming more and more competitive and having that degree behind you increases your chances of employment whether male or female.
I agree that woman are working in and striving to have more powerful careers than they did in the past. But, I still think that many women want a part in taking care of the family, so they would not pick a very demanding job if it would cause them to lose a significant amount of time with their family. I think there will be more women in the workplace holding authoritative positions but not for the same reasons that men hold them. Men want the authority as a way to exemplify their power in the office. Women want the authority to help guide and lead others to the set goals.
Relationship wise, I think that men are easily intimidated by women that are more authoritative than they are. I think a woman is more comfortable having a male superior that a male is with have a female boss. I think the same is true if it were a romantic relationship. If the wife had a more powerful career than the husband, he may feel unaccomplished or think less of himself due to the societal expectations and stereotypes.
CNU’s numbers of male and female, I think aren’t bad. It is interesting, but compared to other schools like JMU and Mary Washington their numbers are almost even. My question, is what is the average degree of females in undergraduate studies. The question asked if these new numbers mean that men will be out numbered in the work place. To me, that all depends on what degrees men are seeking, and what degrees women are seeking. If the stereotype of women as teachers and nurses still holds true, then men will be out numbered in those areas, but not in business because women are not seeking jobs in that profession. Does anyone know what the averages are for degrees? I think you can’t draw any conclusions about the numbers in the work place without knowing where men and women are going for work.
In terms of social relationships, I’m not really sure how these projects will change things. Being a woman, I have no clue how men feel about women that have a higher education then them. I am sure that for some men this is desirable, knowing that they are there own person and have worked hard. For others, this may be a struggle because they want to be the provider. For me, I want to be a teacher one because I think that is what fits be best, but also because it lends well to raising a family. That is the most important to me, so I would more traditional roles. Me staying at home with the kids, while he provides. That might make me sound bad, but I don’t really care, the family is the most important to me.
I definitely agree with what you said in your first paragraph. It really does depend on what everyone decides to major in. If all the women who graduate decide to major in the same thing then it would probably cause issues, but if they all decide to major in different things then it probably wouldn’t change that much.
I think that the percentages of students that are male and female will stay relatively the same with future generations to come. i think with each generation there is going to be a different group of students entering gender wise. Everytime we get the percentages for the male to female ratio at a school it is for the whole school, not just one class year. With the way that the economy is, I feel that it is going to get harder to get a really decent high paying job without a college education.
As much as women want to further their education and have great careers, I think that many still want to raise a family. Sometimes I think many women go to college and get a degree just to show people that they can. My mom went to college and got a business degree, she has never really worked, she was a stay at home mom for my sister and I, but she showed us that women can get a higher education and use it if they want to. Majority of the time when women get a higher education it is so that they can make a difference in the world, and one of the main ways that they can make sure that this happens is by being in a position of high power.
I think that there might be some relationship issues if a woman has a higher education than a man. Then again I think it also depends on how much more education the woman got, how secure the man is with himself, and just the make-up of the relationship to begin with. Some men are more vulnerable than others when it comes to having a strong woman.
I think that if the percentage of women enrolling in colleges continues to increase then all schools, as well as CNU, will have to work harder to appeal to male applicants. I believe that this is necessary in order to keep percentages as close to equal as possible. CNU needs to do this to give their students the “well rounded” experience that they are always talking about. A way to appeal to more males would be to increase publication of school athletics, as well as vamp up or add majors that will apply to men. For example, CNU used to have a sports medicine field which captured men’s interest but got rid of it, which caused males and females to transfer.
In terms of supervising or delegating jobs, yes I do believe that the surplus of educated women will reward deserving women with jobs that were normally held by men. With these jobs I feel as though the person who is more qualified and educated, and with women increasing as job applicants in this area, I think that it is safe to say that this is a healthy conclusion. However, like I mentioned before I do think that there are still going to be jobs that appeal to men that do not appeal to women. There are certain genres of jobs that most women are just not interested in and therefore, will not pursue.
I feel as though relationships between men and women will not change unless men are unable to handle the idea that women may be more educated than them in areas. Knowing men’s competitive nature, they may find it difficult to digest that the competition that once was mostly males, is being consumed with a growing number of females. Hopefully, this will drive their competitive tendencies to become a more competitive opponent in the education area.
I don’t really think that a 45 to 55 percent difference will have that much of an effect on CNU. If the difference was much greater then it probably would have an effect. After reading the chapter on gender and the classroom, I see that the differences between women and men balance out the classroom. Men are usually more dominant, while women are more submissive. Although this isn’t always true, this does help to create a balance in the classroom. If there was a class of all boys there would probably be more issues because most of them would be trying to acheive dominance all the time. It also depends who is taking what classes. If only boys want to major in computer science then it doesn’t really matter that there are more guys than girls at CNU. It’s hard to judge how much gender will have an effect on a school because it really does matter who signs up for what classes. Personally I don’t think I have noticed much of an effect from their not being a balance of genders at CNU, although I haven’t ever really though about it.
Even though more women are being educated it really depends on what each individual person wants to do. If all the women who are graduating want to go into the computer business, then yes, it will probably result in more women getting those jobs than men, and would probably allow for less men to get those jobs than it used to. On the other hand if all the women who graduate want to go into nursing then there might not be as big of an effect on the jobs men are able to receive.
I think it really depends on the individual man. Some men would definitely not be able to hold a lasting relationship with a women who was more successful. There are also some men out there who would do just fine being in a relationship with a successful woman. I think it really just depends on the personality of the man. Textbook wise I guess it would cause issues with long term relationships.
I think the ratio between men and women present at CNU should strive to remain as close to a 50:50 ratios as possible. As we all know, we can learn from each other’s different perspectives. Also, no matter how much I disagree with this idea, many students come to college to meet their spouse. Even if you don’t come for that reason, many do meet their life-long significant others at their respective schools. For the previously listed reasons, I believe we hear (and ask for ourselves) that ratio question when applying to college. If that ratio wavers, I think CNU would experience a decline in interest.
One’s qualifications have a large portion to do with the jobs they acquire. For that reason I do believe that more women will attain jobs that were predominately male in the past. This does, however, mess with our gender psychology. I’m sure many of you have found that the book knows your preferences that are based on your gender. I think that there is going to be more of an equality between men and women within their romantic relationships, but men will remain the party with the best job (maybe not by much) in many cases. I think there’s a possibility of a decrease in marriages for the same reason. If less men are as/more educated than women, many women may lose interest and men may be less inclined to allow themselves to be ranked lower than their wives.
I think that because there are more females than men enrolling and attending universities, there will have to be more male-specific attributes to attract males to the campus. At the same time though, I feel like the amount of female-specific activities on campus, like honors programs, debate, female sports, stereotypical female majors, dance, art, sororities, etc… will have to also increase to account for the growing female population. The only way I really see males making a comeback at universities is if specific colleges focus their attention on just reaching out to males. This could happen if college recruiters only target guys in highschool, or if a college boosts their math and/or science curriculum.
More and more women are desiring financial stability and independence as they grow up. Women no longer just depend on males to support them and their families, which has added a sort of power struggle in many romantic relationships. Males no longer claim the same level of dominance they used to have in the 50’s over their wives. I think the fact that more women than men are attending college will definitely affect the work force. More women will be filling positions that used to be held by males. I think employers still think that hiring a woman will get them extra brownie points or will help them reach some quota, and with more women entering the work force it will only raise their chances of landing a job. I am about to graduate and even though the jobs are slim out there right now, I keep hearing that it won’t be too hard for me to find a job because “I’m a girl.”
Overall, I agree with others’ positions that the difference between the amount of men and women at CNU will not affect them and CNU’s future for the time being. Most schools try to keep the percentages of males to females as close to one standard deviation above or below fifty percent.
I honestly do not know if the increase of educated women will allow women to attain jobs that were typically held by men. Discrimination in the workplace has diminished, but I still believe it exists. Why is it that men still hold the majority of the top-salary jobs and positions within companies? Why is that men still dominate doctoral and professional programs? As many others have stated, there are men who end up not going to college and work their way to the top. Why is that men choose this option?
One reason could be the statement of independence it represents. The “norm” is to go to college, get a degree, and get a job with it, or continue with your studies. By rejecting that norm, the men who choose to do so are making a statement that they are above what society dictates to them and that they can make their own success. Combined with the possibility that for a great deal of students, parents mostly pay for their children’s education, men who decide not to go to college may view it as being a “favor” to their parents. Another view could be that they are asserting their independence from their parents.
As others have pointed out, better educated women may intimidate some men, attract others, and have no effect on the rest. Some men could always take the standpoint that even if a woman is better educated than he does not mean she is more intelligent or smarter than he. I feel as though it will not be the education level of the woman that will matter to men the most, it will be her salary. If she is earning more, then perhaps she would be seen as much more of a source of intimidation for there are many men who perceive that money and wealth are more important and more admired than education.
I can agree with what you’re saying about money being more of the source of intimidation that education. A women could have a PhD and do nothing with it, still living at home not really doing anything with her life. I think confidence in a women to make something of herself is what attracts men and if she’s extra smart then thats just a bonus. It just seems that women have to go the long way in order to get to the same place as men. I had an interview once and the two people interviewing me were a man and woman. Now, I know there were probably many other reasons why among me (the only girl) and the other two boys up for the poistion, a boy got it, but I had had the same job for 5 years, worked 30+ hours a week and was taking 5 classes, and they were stressing that they were looking for someone with commitment, and yet….it was not enough and one of the boys got the job instead. When we talked later, he was SHOCKED when i told him how much i worked and went to school. Obviously he didnt have the same background and he was the one chosen. Even though a man and a woman were interviewing me, I feel that somewhere in their traditional eyes, the assumption that men are just better than women played at least a sliver of a role in their decision making. The next job i applied for was as an office assistant and they didnt even ask me for an interview, they just told me when i was to start.
If more women are going to college and getting degrees then I dont see why they wouldnt get more jobs than men. If this trend keeps increasing, women may yet become the rulers of the world. Men could be slaves. JUST KIDDING. What this trend should equate to is equality between men and women long awaited. I do believe some men would feel inferior if their wives or girlfriends were more successful than them but times are changing and so will their minds. With more women going to college and having more options and opportunities for education, the number of jobs open to them will also expand in that they wont just be teachers, nurses, and assistants. Women are becoming engineers, architects, and even working in the shipyard. Even men are starting to expand their fields of employment in stereotypical jobs like nursing. More and more men are becoming secure with their masculinity and doing things that only about a decade ago were considered to be too feminine or “gay.” Men have been going to the nail salon, spas, tanning salons, and shopping for clothing with what is typically considered to be “pretty boy” style. Now its metrosexual and many women are attracted to that. It seems that now women are really making a stand for themselves and proving to society that they have the means to be just as successful as men, and men too are taking a step back and thinking “If a woman can do it, I can too.”
Mr. Mom is becoming more and more popular along with the increase in female careers. Before it wasnt thought highly of if men were staying at home without a job while the women worked; probably because the job she had didnt make enough money to comfortably support the family. Now, however, it can be just as much the women’s job to comfortably support the family with her successful career as the mans. I do see a few problems with this however. Some men will hold a grudge if the women makes more money than they do because they’re holding on to traditional values of not feeling like ‘the man’ if they can’t actually hold themselves and their family up. And, if both parents have busy, successful careers, then there might be some problems properly raising their children. I do think that there will be plenty of men not so happy if they arent making as much money as their wives or girlfriends, however, if women are realizing and accepting that they too can provide and support, then they should also feel some resentment towards their husbands for making more money than them.
All of this still doesnt solve the problem of strength. For example, if you’re working at the shipyard, you’re a girl, and you only weigh 110 lbs. and obviously dont have the strength to hold a hot and heavy torch to weld together several pieces of metal with hot sparks and slag (molten metal) spraying and falling all over you……who will? THE BOYS! So, even though more and more women are getting more stereotypically male jobs, men are still going to find ways of feeling superior to women in that many of them are stronger. When you come home from a long day at the office and you’ve had enough mental stress to last the rest of the month, how do you come back to your husbands answer of, “well at least you werent sweating every ounce of liquid in you standing in front of molten metal for eight hours in 100+ degrees covered from head to toe in a fire resistant jump suit so you dont burn yourself….and then still burn yourself because a piece of slag managed to slip its way down my sleeve passed my gloves that were still not thick enough to really cushion the feel of the fire.”…..what then? How does a woman equal that?