Something new is a radical reversal of the sexual hierarchy.
Among young adults, women are the first sex. They graduate from college in greater numbers (among Americans ages 25 to 34, 34% of women now have a bachelor's degree but just 27% of men), and they have higher GPAs. As most professors tell it, they also have more confidence and drive. These strengths carry women through their 20s, when they are more likely than men to be in grad school and making strides in the workplace. In a number of cities, they are even out-earning their brothers and boyfriends.
Statistics tell the story. Over 75% of women age 25-54 worked in 1998. In 2009, 66 million women were employed in the U.S. with the largest percentage (40%) in management, professional, and related occupations; 32 percent worked in sales and office occupations and 21 percent in service occupations. Today, young college-educated women in New York City and other major cities are earning more than their male counterparts. It is estimated that 870 million women who have not participated in the mainstream global economy will gain employment or start their own companies over the next decade.
As a leading coach of executive women in North America, I have developed a unique understanding of female perceptions that affect their work and home life challenges along with what approaches have worked well for these female clients.
The past decades' economic expansion and the digital revolution have transformed the high-end labor market into a fierce competition for the most stimulating, creative and glamorous jobs. Fields that attract ambitious young men and women often require years of moving between school and internships, between internships and jobs, laterally and horizontally between jobs, and between cities in the U.S. and abroad. The knowledge economy gives the educated young an unprecedented opportunity to think about work in personal terms. They are looking not just for jobs but for "careers," work in which they can exercise their talents and express their deepest passions. They expect their careers to give shape to their identity. For today's young adults, "what you do" is almost synonymous with "who you are," and starting a family is seldom part of the picture.
In 1970, to cite just one of many numbers proving the point, nearly seven in 10 25-year-olds were married; by 2000, only one-third had reached that milestone. In 2008, only one-fourth of women tied the knot. Now the key question is: Will executive women every marry?
Source: The Wall Street Journal, February 19, 2011
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