In the past, women in the workforce had a narrow occupation choice they would engage in. In most cases, they were tied to exploring traditionally held work roles such as clerical, teaching or nursing. Their careers were considered secondary to their husbands or other family obligations. However, this has changed in the past two decades; some women have decided to engage in pursuing a wide range of occupations. In addition, “a career first and marriage maybe now or later” has become the new order of preference for most women. However, these women still face some barriers while participating in the workforce.
First, the bias associated with gender stereotypes in the workforce is still there (Tischler, 2014). Gender stereotypes stem from gender role expectations that the society of western civilization has embedded in the minds of Americans whereby various careers are viewed as being more appropriate for an individual depending on their gender. Jobs that require less physicality seems to fall under a job category that is more suited for women, whereas those careers that are more demanding and require more leadership are more suited for men. Secondly, women with the same skill set as men in the workforce will not be given equal status in the job; men are often most preferred (Andersen et al, 2013). Thirdly, pay inequality and gender issues that are troublesome are capable of inhibiting women’s careers development (Zunker, 2016). Women's pay in the workforce is unequal to that of their male counterparts even when they work together in the same place of work and performing the same tasks in the same job category. The pay difference between white men and women is the greatest amongst all other races (Zunker, 2016). An additional group that faces almost the same struggles as those mentioned above is the African Americans. They are often segregated with inequality in their payments
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Issues of gender roles, gender stereotypes and pay inequalities need to be dealt with to get rid of the struggles of women in the workforce still present today. Additionally, career-counseling strategies should be updated in order to accommodate each cultural group equally.
References
Anderson, K. A., Richardson, V. E., Fields, N. L., & Harootyan, R. A. (2013). Inclusion or exclusion? Exploring barriers to employment for low-income older adults. Journal of gerontological social work , 56 (4), 318-334.
Schraad-Tischler, D., & Kroll, C. (2014). Social Justice in the EU-a Cross-national Comparison: Social Inclusion Monitor Europe (SIM): Index Report . Gütersloh: Bertelsmann Stiftung.
Zunker, V. G. (2016). Career Counseling: A Holistic Approach, 9th Edition . [Bookshelf Online]. Retrieved from https://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781305729759/
