We take for granted that they can study math and science and any subject they want. We take for granted that women can manage the family check book, that women can apply for bank loans and buy houses. Not so long ago, classified ads in all the major newspapers were listed under jobs for men and jobs for women. In fact, women were barred by laws in many states from entering entire occupations, such as mining, fire fighting, bartending, law and medicine. We were considered physically and mentally weaker than men, too squeamish for jobs, and if for some reason we did do a man's job, we were rarely paid at an equal rate.
Women are the fastest growing segment of the labor market today.
But we're filling the lowest paying jobs. More than ever, it means that you need to be educated and prepared to compete. From now until the year 2005 it's estimated that over 15-million jobs will require some form of postsecondary education. Jobs requiring education after high school will grow faster than those requiring only a high school education, but the expected number of job openings requiring a bachelor's degree or more is less than the number of job seekers with a post secondary degree. It's a little known fact that girls do better at math before they reach adolesence.