One of the main topics that has interested me most this semester is gender stratification pertaining to occupations. Why do women and men tend to drift towards certain occupations? Is it because of personal interest, or does society's influence have an effect?
Personally, I believe society still plays a role in leading individuals to choose occupations based on gender. Two common examples are men as engineers and women as nurses, but one that causes a huge concern for me is women in public service and politics.
According to MarketWatch.Com, 17.5% of the world's elected offices are held by women, and the numbers in the United States are lower.
There are individuals attempting to shrink the gap between women and men in public service. One of the most recent is Wellesley College (Hillary Rodham Clinton's alma mater) and the U.S. State Department teaming up to bring women the opportunity to participate in the inaugural Women in Public Service Summer Institute, which is a part of the Women in Public Service Project.
According to MarketWatch.Com, "The institute will convene fifty promising women leaders from around the world, including areas undergoing political transformations and social change, such as Arab countries in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region. Participants will benefit from training and networking sessions with their peers and established leaders, a forum for shared learning and dialogue on leadership, and a global exchange of ideas and resources."
The Women in Public Service Project was introduced in March 2011 in efforts to attract and keep more women in politics. With programs like this, hopefully our government will move towards a better representation of our nation as a whole.
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