Abstract:
In the article Why secretary is still the top job for women by Annalyn Kurtz in the CNN Money section, this article talks about why secretaries are still the top job for women just like it was in the 1950s. Before women were secretaries because people could get away with paying women lower wages for the amount of work they were producing. People would think that this job title would change over the years but even with all this advancement in technology, companies still need people to operate this equipment and they turn to women. Men's starting salaries are generally thousands of dollars higher and a woman makes 78 cents to a man's dollar. The names of secretaries have changed to "administrative assistant" or "office professional" to give secretaries a better name.
Discussion Questions:
Why do you think secretaries are still the top job for women?
What did you think the number one job is for women?
Were you shocked that times haven't really changed?
Is this the same case in your families? Why or Why not?
Why hasn't this changed after centuries?
Are their stereotypes that fuel this job? If so, what are they?
Caitlyn's Response:
After reading this article we were very shocked that numbers haven't changed much in terms of CEO positions occupied by women. I always knew that less women were company owners but I never thought about their alternative job, secretary. Even here at Iolani the higher ranking jobs such as dean of students and headmaster are occupied by men. Then in the office we have Ms. Mau, Ms.Wakita and Ms. Ohira. I don't think that makes our women here at Iolani any less than the men who are in charge but it is quite funny to think about. This article brings up many questions as to why this may still be true even though we are in the 21 century. Hopefully in our class discussion we can get to the bottom of this. Taylor's Response:
After reading the article I was a little shocked that the top job for women in the 21st century is the same as it was in the 1950s. Not many women do have CEO jobs but I thought maybe the top job for women would be a teacher or a nurse. I think that theres a stereotype that women aren't capable of handling harder or as much work as men are and possibly also the stereotype that men are smarter than women. Although these stereotypes do exist, I would've thought or expected times to have changed for the better. Although the number one job is still a secretary at least women are being paid a higher wage than before and aren't being cheated out of what they deserve.
Abstract:
In the article Why secretary is still the top job for women by Annalyn Kurtz in the CNN Money section, this article talks about why secretaries are still the top job for women just like it was in the 1950s. Before women were secretaries because people could get away with paying women lower wages for the amount of work they were producing. People would think that this job title would change over the years but even with all this advancement in technology, companies still need people to operate this equipment and they turn to women. Men's starting salaries are generally thousands of dollars higher and a woman makes 78 cents to a man's dollar. The names of secretaries have changed to "administrative assistant" or "office professional" to give secretaries a better name.
Discussion Questions:
Why do you think secretaries are still the top job for women?
What did you think the number one job is for women?
Were you shocked that times haven't really changed?
Is this the same case in your families? Why or Why not?
Why hasn't this changed after centuries?
Are their stereotypes that fuel this job? If so, what are they?
Caitlyn's Response:
After reading this article we were very shocked that numbers haven't changed much in terms of CEO positions occupied by women. I always knew that less women were company owners but I never thought about their alternative job, secretary. Even here at Iolani the higher ranking jobs such as dean of students and headmaster are occupied by men. Then in the office we have Ms. Mau, Ms.Wakita and Ms. Ohira. I don't think that makes our women here at Iolani any less than the men who are in charge but it is quite funny to think about. This article brings up many questions as to why this may still be true even though we are in the 21 century. Hopefully in our class discussion we can get to the bottom of this.
Taylor's Response:
After reading the article I was a little shocked that the top job for women in the 21st century is the same as it was in the 1950s. Not many women do have CEO jobs but I thought maybe the top job for women would be a teacher or a nurse. I think that theres a stereotype that women aren't capable of handling harder or as much work as men are and possibly also the stereotype that men are smarter than women. Although these stereotypes do exist, I would've thought or expected times to have changed for the better. Although the number one job is still a secretary at least women are being paid a higher wage than before and aren't being cheated out of what they deserve.