Leave the aprons in the kitchen and the dishes in the sink: The days of husband-doting “”career”” housewives are over. Well, almost.
According to a Bureau of Labor statistics report for 2000-2005, women accounted for nearly 1.7 million of the 1.9 million net increases in total employment above the overall median wage.
According to the report, women out numbed men in obtaining work that pays in the top quarter of all jobs, which means more and more women are becoming bosses and CEOs – translation – the “”breadwinners”” of the family.
In turn, companies are turning to more democratic decision-making and incorporating interpersonal communication skills into their repertoire. Old white-haired men making hierarchical decisions from their Ivory towers are becoming a thing of the past.
This is no surprise – women have been steadily catching up and outnumbering men in universities across the nation for more than 20 years.
At the UA, 53 percent of the student population is comprised of women, and in the Honors College, a staggering 61 percent happen to be female.
This positive trend is encouraging – that ol’ glass ceiling may just be ready to crack. But, this is also troubling to those who don’t run off of estrogen.
At Clark University, where 60 percent of students are female, there’s a support group for those who may need to figure out “”how to be a man”” in today’s culture.
Other universities have even tweaked their admissions standards in an attempt to cater to the male population.
At Towson University, a special program will admit students who many have higher SAT scores than the average Towson student but lower grades in an effort to recruit more men, among other goals.
What’s to explain for this male malaise? In a study conducted by Cooperative Institutional Research Program, researchers found that female high school seniors spent more time studying or doing homework, talking with teachers and doing volunteer work. The males in the study were reported to have spent the bulk of their time watching television, partying and exercising.
For whatever reason, it would seem men just haven’t been finding it in their hearts to step it up and make some progress. And that’s OK – until they become the minority, which in some instances they already have.
While it’s certainly good to applaud female gains, though, women’s success shouldn’t be at the expense of men’s.
In the gender realm, women are catching up, and equality is on the horizon. But for the sake of balance, men would do well to start buckling down. Otherwise, they may find themselves staring up through the glass ceiling.
Opinions Board
Editorials are determined by the Wildcat opinions board and written by one of its members. They are Justyn Dillingham, Allison Hornick, Damion LeeNatali, Stan Molever, Nicole Santa Cruz and Matt Stone.
