While there are more women in positions of power, progress is slow. In 1997, there were 61 female top earners in Fortune 500 companies out of the total 2,458 top earners. Women comprised 2.5 percent of the total. Women still are expected to bear the burden of being the primary caregivers to children and aging parents. These social expectations create multiple conflicts for women.
Women struggle with work and family balance, regardless of race, class or career path.
Social role expectations of women are burdensome, considering that in 1996, dual earner marriages comprised 42.7 percent of all families, and many women balance working with single parenting. Social position, career interruption, and alternative arrangements influence women's career patterns. Career development is impacted by social position according to race, gender, sexual orientation, and class. Career models based on white male experience fail to describe women's career prospects and progress. Women's career patterns differ from men's in that women are much more apt to have career interruptions, change careers, and work part time.