Current Event Summary/Synopsis
“Women Are Back On the Job”
Shaniece Twitty
Hist. 1320-11
October 23, 2012
2:25-3:40

While women are said to be equal in today‘s society, this was not the case in previous centuries. In the 1800s a woman’s ultimate purpose was to find a man and reproduce. However, women are finding their way back into the workforce. “Women Are Back On the Job” by Tami Luhby. This article appeared on CNN Money, October 19, 2012, from the website http://money.cnn.com/2012/10/19/news/economy/women-jobs/index.html?iid=SF_E_River.
The economic upswing is now becoming more balanced between the genders. The number of women employees has jumped 300,000 in the past six months, nearly the same amount as men. In September, each men and women saw a job gain of 57,000. It increased overall in the United States as a whole. As governments looked to become stricter financially, they reduced funding for job support initiatives, particularly subsidized child care programs that allow poor women to seek and retain jobs. Women were hit hard during the private sector, in schools which accelerated in 2011 after stimulus funds ran out. Governments were still shedding jobs after the private sector. Governments have finally begun to stem jobs losses over the past year. School districts started the strongest summer hiring since 2006, offering teaching jobs within the school(Tami Lahby). At this time women are still climbing their way to the top. It all comes down to women who are becoming more educated, are getting the jobs they deserve.
The primary message within this article is that women were always treated with less concern when it came to jobs. Men seemed to benefit more when it came to working and having a steady income. More than majority of women are jobless and have fallen into poverty in the last four years. However, women are overcoming this drought. They have recovered 32% of the jobs lost in the recession, while men have gained back 43%(Joan Entmacher).
It's taken longer for women to feel the economic recovery, but they are landing more jobs now. Overall, the last four years have been a mixed economic bag for women. This whole issue has been a hot topic in this year’s election. Barack Obama’s first bill was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. The bill itself says enough “Fair Pay Act”, which has been for a long time overlooked. Not only have men been getting more jobs, but also higher pay rates. Women who may have been working in a job field longer than a man, is unknowingly getting paid less, in some cases. Some women work harder and smarter than some men, but are not getting rewarded for it.
This article is closely related to the issue which ties into World Societies. Daily life for women in the early 1800s was that of many obligations and few choices. Some even compare the conditions of women in this time to a form of slavery. Women were completely controlled by the men in their lives. The lower-working class women are being targeted back in the 1800s, as well as now. Women pulled hard laboring hours, but the pay did not add up. It was sort of like they were working for nothing. Some of these women were expected to fulfill three roles: mother, housekeeper, and worker. They were less valued even though they did more work with high responsibilities.
Women are fighting hard and not giving up on what they deserve. The more educated we are the better chance we have at getting a job with a satisfying pay. For roughly every one job lost in the public sector, women have gained three in the private industry. On the flip side, men have lost good paying jobs in manufacturing and construction, which haven't recovered.