StockBIZ: Women’s work is never done

by Mary Jo David

March is Women’s History Month and 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote. What better time to take a look at how women have progressed in the world of work since then.

In the 1920s, few married women worked outside the home, unless it was the only way they could make ends meet. Depending on their level of education, single women could be found biding their time until marriage in occupations like teaching, social work, nursing, library science, domestic work, farm work, and some factory work (mainly textile mills and garment factories). Often, women working outside the home were considered frivolous. So while Henry Ford was making news for paying his male factory workers $5.00/day, women in his factories were making just over $2.00/day. “I pay our women well so they can dress attractively and get married,” Ford was quoted as saying.

Throughout the early 1900s, opportunities for clerical work skyrocketed and clerical careers moved from male domination to female domination—albeit for less pay. Many families looked upon the cost of clerical training as an opportunity for improving the chances of social mobility for their daughters. Then came World War II, which resulted in a huge increase in the number of employment opportunities for women, across industries. From Rosie the Riveter to Ellen Gardner (the quintessential secretary featured in many shorthand and typing texts), women arrived at companies in droves to aid in the war effort. And while many of the factory jobs returned to male domination after the war, women continued holding their own in clerical jobs at banks, insurance companies, and the like.

The 1950s and ‘60s saw married women beginning to re-enter the workforce in larger numbers, often returning to clerical careers they had left when they were starting their families. By the 1970s and ‘80s women were showing up in all facets of the work world—education, medicine, business, factories—everything from machinists and bartenders to doctors and divas.

Now, one hundred years after being granted the right to vote, women are holding their own in advanced education as well. Women have earned more bachelor’s degrees than men since 1982, more master’s degrees than men since 1987, and more doctorate degrees than men since 2006. Yet, women continue to be poorly represented in the ranks of CEOs. For example, as of December 2019, only 30 women (6%) held CEO positions in S&P 500 companies.

And women are still earning less: $0.79 for every $1.00 earned by men. On a more promising note, when comparing women and men working in similar jobs, women are earning $0.98 for every $1.00 earned by men. Women in the skilled trades continue to be notably underrepresented. For example, even as recently as 2018, fewer than one in 20 construction trades workers (3.4%) were women.

So what does all of this mean for girls growing up in the Stockbridge area? Those who enjoy school and book-learning would do well to capitalize on earning an education and putting that education to work. Female SHS grads shouldn’t discount jobs in the skilled trades either. According to USA Today (Aug. 27, 2019), “By 2028, an estimated 3 million jobs will sit open in the skilled trades…from appliance techs to carpenters.”

Bringing career experience closer to home, Erin Clifton, D.C., a practicing Chiropractic doctor in Stockbridge, was asked whether being female has made a difference—either positively or negatively—in her career achievements. She responded, “Being a female has positively impacted our practice. Dr. Sarah and I pursued additional certifications to care for expectant mothers and the pediatric population. Being in that world personally has helped us to serve these populations professionally.” However, she also adds, “Our practice is more like a family. People can sense that energy. I don’t think it’s because we are female…I think it’s because we’re intentional about it.”

When asked a similar question, Lisa McClain, a 1984 graduate of SHS and senior vice president of Hantz Group in Southfield, stated emphatically, “I don’t believe that being female has been a help or a hindrance. My professional achievements have always been based on merit and competence.”

From this writer’s perspective, it is important to do research and approach career choices with eyes open. Always remember, if you can do what you love, you’ll likely love what you do.

Sources:
Mass Production, Modernism and Design, Ray Batchelor (3/1/1995).
Catalyst, “Quick Take: Women in the Workforce—United States” (6/ 5/2019).
Catalyst, “Women CEOs of the S&P 500” (2/11/2020).
Journal of Social History, “Women’s Work: The Feminization and Shifting Meanings of Clerical Work,” England & Boyer, 2009.
Payscale.com, “The State of the Gender Pay Gap 2019.”
Institute for Women’s Policy Research, “Share of Women Working in Construction Trades in 2018 is Highest in 20 Years” (3/28/2019).