5.1 Gender Differences External Facfors

Question 1

What changes in women employment have there been?

Answer 1

1970s equal pay act make it illegal to pay women less than men for the same work.
1975 sexx discrimination act makes it illegal for sex discrimination in employment.
The proportion of women in employment has risen from 47% in 1959 to over 70% in 2007.
Since 1975the pay gap between men and women has fallen from 30% to 17%.

Question 2

Prosser 2006

Answer 2

In the 30 yrs since the equal pay act there have been many changes in women’s economic participation and achievement. More woman are working than ever before and accessing training and jobs which previous generations would not have considered open to women.

Question 3

Sharpe 1994 interviews:

Answer 3

She compared the results of interviews she conducted with girls in the 70s and 90s.
In 1974 the girls she interviewed had low aspirations they felt educational success was unfeminine and believed that if they appeared to be ambitious and intelligent they would be considered unattractive.
By the 90s girls ambitions had changed and they had a different order of priorities- careers and being able to support themselves.