Commentary

Overview

This lesson introduces the basic concepts that undergird this course. Specifically, we will define key terms essential to a discussion of gender, occupations, and profession; and we will consider the “So what?” question about gender and how these ideas work in our own lives. In so doing, this lesson will lay the groundwork for future lessons, which will explore issues raised here in more detail. The basic premise of this course is, not surprisingly, that women and men have profoundly different experiences in their occupations and professions—no matter what culture one lives in.

We will begin by looking at statistics describing some key differences in the lives of males and females in the United States that will help frame our discussion. The following facts are drawn from a March 2000 U.S. Census Bureau brief.

Fact: Women outnumber men.

Of the approximately 272 million people counted, 139 million were female and 133 million were male.

• Under 20 years of age, there were 105 males for every 100 females.
• Ages 20–24, there were 98 males to 100 females.
• At age 85, there were 49 men for every 100 women.

Fact: Slightly more males than females have completed college.

27.5 percent of men and 23.1 percent of women had a bachelor’s degree or more.
• The proportion of women with higher education has increased considerably from 1970 when almost twice as many men as women had obtained a bachelor’s degree.