Perhaps the most dramatic social change in the industrial countries in the twentieth century has been the entry of women into the workplace. The nineteenth century ideology of "separate spheres"- the breadwinner husband and the homemaker wife- has slowly and steadily evaporated. While only 20 percent of women and 4 percent of married women worked outside the home in 1900, more that three-fourths did so by 1995, including 60 percent of married women. In the first decade of the next century, 80 percent of new entrants into the labor force will be women, minorities, and immigrants. (Kimmel 2000 p.256) Although women are always facing the challenges of the "glass ceiling", in the year 2050, women will have increased more support and ingenuity power. Thus making women the able to achieve in an all male field of work.
We think that by 2050 the American workplace is going to become greatly dependant on technology. And such fields as skilled jobs like carpenters, electricians, construction workers will be out of work. Technology becoming such an important role in the future workforce we think that women will most likely be on top of the corporate latter than most men in the labor force because of how important having an education will become. And with women pursuing higher education they will put themselves in better position to achieve success in the workplace.
We also believe that a lot of corporate companies will increase in becoming a more family friendly environment, if they want to keep their great employees. When women put their families before their careers, they are often responding to a generalized cultural mandate that is mediated through direct pressures from their husbands at home and other husbands in the workplace. (Kimmel 2000 p.279) With the large rate of divorced families in 2050, companies will soon realize how important is, and for families to learn to balance between work and family. they will soon offer amenities to employee with children and truly understand when its family time and work time.
3 comments:
The numbers are staggering. The huge increase of women in the work force over the course of a century is a trend that will continue into the next half-century. I think you make a profound statement when you claim that the labor force will be shifting evn more in the next 50 years towards careers in technology which will benefit women. Through our research, we now know that college campuses are dominated by women who are plannig for a future and a take over in the work force. I don't think this is done intentionally but it is inevitable. Men continur to dominate carpentry jobs, electritians, and constructions sites. Women can do these jobs but I believe most simply chose not to. When these types of careers are phasing out, women with higher education will move right into these positions. Some men just chose to join the labor force instead of pursuing higher education and the result by the year 2050 can be accurately predicted. I looked up my assignment for the Family-Friendly Comparative Analysis and it coincides with yoru predictions of the future workplace. I used Bristol-Myers Squibb as my comaprative company and the family friendly environment you speak of already exists in many big corporations and will continur to improve to keep many valuable employees in their positions, many of them women who have children. It really is the work force of the future.
Bristol-Myers Squibb. Careers, Work Life/Home Life Initiatives (http://www.bms.com/career/data/lework.html) Retrieved July 22 and August 8, 2007
I found it interesting that you said “This was something society never really thought about because you assume teachers are taught in college the difference of teaching boys and girls”. We do assume that, and most teachers are women, which means that they teach the way they know how to learn. This creates a problem when it comes to boys learning. They need to have more hands on approaches and see how things work rather than just be told how they work. Up until recently we didn’t know that boys learned differently, and now maybe we can start to adjust the way students are taught. After all the studies that have been done recently all we can do is hope that there will be a change. With all the new technology that there is and will be by the year 2050, teaching should be much easier. Now we have over head projectors and computers to provide amore hands on approach for boys, and in the future we should have much more than that. If we try hard enough, boys and girls should be on the same level academically very soon.
I agree with your statement that the workplace will become dependant on technology. Even today, I don't think many people could get by without the daily use of cellphones, computers, blackberry's, etc.
Not only will we become dependant on technology, but the technology can make our work experience better. Many work places today are known has "intelligent workplaces". These buildings offer its workers a comfortable environment. Carnegie Mellon University is experimenting with an intelligent workplace. Each desk is within 25 yards of natural light and the building has ceiling panels that reflect warm daylight to work areas because it is proven that daylight improves productivity 5-25 percent (Lloyd 2005).
Also, the building temperature is never off balance. It is never too hot or too cold. The heat radiates from slender window pips that snake around the building walls and carry water that is warmed by recaptured waste heat. Cooling is achieved with interior shades and exterios louvers. Workers can control the temperature in their area by consoles at each station (Lloyd 2005).
The article goes on to discuss other attributes of the offices, such as the furniture and making electricity.
Although some people are discouraged with the technological advances in some ways, there are also many good aspects, such as the ones mentioned above.
I think that many people will be more satisfied with their jobs if they are in an "intelligent workplace." More people will leave work happy and will go home happy, rather than disgruntled. Work will get done faster and more efficiently and people will be able to spend more time with their families.
Lloyd, Robin. Intelligent Workplace: The Office of the Future. Retrieved on August 9, 2007 from http://www.livescience.com/technology/051223_future_office.html
Jennifer Marino
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