Women Outshine Men on the Nation's Payroll

America is recently recovering from a major economic downfall. As President Obama works hard for our country to recover from the recession, women have been outnumbering men on the nation's payroll. Gender discrimination in the workplace has been an ongoing issue, however men have been losing their jobs much faster than women. Casey B Mulligan who is an professor at the University of Chicago quotes, "Important milestones remain to be achieved, but women surpassing 50 percent of employment is something that historians will note for years to come." Since the recession that began in December of 2007. women have lost 3.9 million jobs where men have lost 7.4 million. This major difference in job loss is due to the jobs that men and women hold. Men most likely work in the manufacturing industry, which is much more effected by an economic downfall whereas women who partake in jobs in government, health care, and education are not as greatly impacted. Health care employment has been among the strongest during the recession. As the statistics show, women now have the upper hand when keeping a stable job. However, as the country makes a full recovery, men will make their way back on-top on the Nation's Payroll.

After reading this article I began to wonder why men and women take on different jobs. Many of the articles I have read discussed the reasons for the wage-gap between men and women. I believe that the wage-gape is partially due to discrimination, but more likely impacted by the jobs women and men partake in. Men who hold higher-paying jobs are more likely to be laid off during a recession. Women who hold lower-paying jobs are more likely to keep their job because their pay is much cheaper. The more articles I read the harder it is for me to take a stance on the controversial wage-gap between men and women. The progress of women have been very apparent. Women have made their point and have began to surpass the stereotype of the "stay at home housewife." I do strongly believe that with time, women will eventually gain equal pay as men. It is unfortunate that this issue still exists today, but as history shows, when individuals fight for what they believe in, they will most likely be able to achieve their goal.

Rampell, Catherine. "Women Now a Majority in American Workplaces." NYTimes.com. The New York Times. 5 Feb 2010. Web. 8 Feb 2010. .