Full access to education and training must be available to all. An education and workforce preparation system that strives to be inclusive cannot merely open its doors and expect equity to happen. Deliberate action from everyone involved in the education and workforce preparation system must be taken to insure that barriers that limit opportunities are identified and corrected. Efforts to improve access and opportunities are important because of the increasing reliance on women's wages for the well being of families. Women's low earnings have a direct impact on the number of children living in poverty in Illinois, currently one in five.
Women continue to be over-represented in the lowest paid, lowest opportunity jobs in the economy.
In 1998, the six leading occupations for women were still secretaries, nurses, beauticians, waitresses, teachers and cashiers. These segregated occupational patterns contribute significantly to women's generally low wages and to the wage disparity between males and females. All students should be encouraged to explore career options based on their abilities and interests, not their gender . Gender-based obstacles appear in the early stages of formal instruction and continue throughout women's educational and career experiences. Barriers to equal educational opportunity for girls and women in science, math and technology-related areas prevent Illinois from preparing its full pool of talent for the technologically sophisticated needs of employers.