None of us are strangers to the fact that there is a gender-based wage gap in America (and the world.)
We know there are glass ceilings that remain frustratingly unshattered. We know that there are gender inequalities stacked upon race inequalities that make it so that a Black woman has to work twice as hard to still earn less.
We know. We pay attention and we work hard to do our best. We try to impart wisdom, to give a platform for women to tell their stories, and to proactively try to change things.
Well, that's not what this article is about. Instead, this article is about the strides women have already made. It's about how we mother and earn simultaneously. It's about how we are earning degrees at four times the rate women used to earn. It's about how households are looking different—how women are increasingly turning into the breadwinners.
Let's use today to celebrate the wins we have achieved and to look forward to how unstoppable we are.
1. Women Want New Challenges At Work
According to KPMG’s Women's Study Report, 69 percent of women are willing to proactively ask to be involved in a project. 66 percent are willing to take on a project that is new to them.
2. Women Absolutely Ask For Raises (More Than Men)
According to McKinsey and LeanIn’s Women in The Workplace 2018 Report, women negotiate for raises just as much as men do. In fact, in the last two years, women reported having negotiated for raises more than men. While 29 percent of men had negotiated for raises, 31 percent of women did the same.
3. Women Represent The Majority of Social Workers
According to the Department of Labor, 82 percent of social workers are women. In fact, women represent the majority of speech-language pathologists (98 percent), physical therapists (69 percent), and pharmacists (60 percent.)
4. Women Continue Working For Their Country
After serving in the military, women veterans are much more likely to continue to serve their country as government workers. Three out of 10 women will continue their work for the government after service.
5. Mothers Work + They Work Hard
70 percent of mothers with children under the age of 18 participate in the labor force. In addition, 75 percent of working mothers with children under age 18 work full-time.
6. More Mothers Than Ever Are Primary or Sole Earners In Their Household
According to The Department of Labor's Women's Bureau, mothers are the primary or sole earners in 40 percent of households with children under age 18. In 1960, that number was only 11 percent.
7. Women Earn More Bachelor's Degrees Than Men
Women are more likely to have earned a bachelor’s degree by age 29. While 34 percent of women have earned a bachelor’s degree by age 29, only 26 percent of men have done the same.
8. Women Are Earning Degrees (Much) More Than Ever
While on the subject of higher education, the proportion of women in the labor force who had earned college degrees has nearly quadrupled since 1970.
9. Women-Owned Businesses Are on The Rise
More women are owning their own businesses. Between 1997 and 2014, the total number of women-owned businesses in the United States increased by 68 percent. As a woman-owned business, we love this stat.
10. Women Have Higher Satisfaction At Work
Women actually like their jobs! Women have reported higher job satisfaction than men. While 33 percent of women have reported that they are engaged in their work, only 28 percent of men said the same.
11. Women are actively searching for new Opportunities
According to our own research from The Salary Project™, women are actively (or passively) searching for new job opportunities. Despite over 65 percent of respondents reporting that they are happy at work, 70 percent of total respondents are looking for new opportunities.
