Not sure if you've been following the news in Europe as of late, but the biggest news is increasing the quota of women in the boardroom, as well as (in Germany at least) increasing the positions and ages of children that Kindergartens will take so that women can return to work if they need to or wish to, sooner than the 1 year maternity leave that is available. [see
here and
here ] There is also a push to have more male teachers and helpers in the kindertagesstäte, [see
here]
There are places outside of the West (Europe, North, Central and South America) that do prohibit women to do the things you mention, and in some cultures within the West, there are cultural prohibitions of women doing those things though it is legal through the government to do so. I can think of right off hand a few Christian groups, as well as some Roma and Muslim groups that are that way.
The boardroom, and some jobs are still seen as "men's clubs" in some areas. One that I can readily think of (because it is what a friend does, and what DH helped a friend break into from the "Scener" groups) is that of
the Techno DJ. It is very rare even now, 10 years after DH stopped being in "The Scene" for there to be girls and women present. When there are, they are allowed free or reduced entry, because it is seen as a "fluke". Girls/Women have to jockey hard for the positions they do get to work, and have to be careful how they dress (Style, fashion) so that they are not pigeon-holed or not given the opportunity of being hired. I remember hearing about "
DJ Granny" hitting the big time finally after some clubs gave her a chance.
There are many articles on there being new quotas in jobs, not by virtue of the women being female, but because women are often passed over for certain jobs on the basis they are female, even if the work has been put in. That old adage of the 50s-80s (70s in some places) like in the movie "Down with Love" where the woman in the board room is the one pouring the tea and coffee is a stark reality in some of these places.
There isn't always opportunity to fight it either, because of how it puts bad marks on your being able to be hired elsewhere.
From only one article (due to the lateness of the hour) the statistics of larger companies are as follows:
The latest surveys show:
23% of all board appointments between March and October were of women.
Women make up 14.2% of FTSE-100 directors, up from 12.5% in 2010.
Women make up 8.8% of FTSE-250 directors, up from 7.8% in 2010.
There are 13 all-male boards in the FTSE-100, down from 21 in 2010.
47.6% of FTSE-250 firms have all-male boards and only a third of FTSE-100 firms have set targets for increasing women's numbers in the boardroom.
Female directors overall earn salaries 14% lower than those of men, rising to 20% for executive directors a £19,000 gap according to the Institute of Directors and Croner Reward.
Other studies suggest men also get higher bonuses.
Cameron says more women in the boardroom would help curb greed | Money | The Guardian
Several governments, especially in Europe, have decided that radical action is required to increase the number of women in the executive suite. Norway passed a law in 2003 that obliged all publicly listed firms to reserve 40% of the seats on their boards for women by 2008. Spain passed a similar law in 2007; France earlier this year. The Netherlands is working on one.
On July 6th the European Parliament passed a resolution calling for EU-wide legislation stipulating that at least 40% of seats on listed companies supervisory boards will be reserved for women by 2020.
Women in business: Still lonely at the top | The Economist
...Not too long ago, quotas were seen as the devil's work and a product of feminism. Men saw their power and careers threatened, and women felt that quotas were a stigma that would lessen their individual achievements. Meanwhile, however, Germany lags far behind other countries when it comes to gender equality...
Until sometime in the last decade, the situation in Germany was as follows: Women could pursue careers -- real careers that took them to the very top and involved 70-hour weeks, the whole gamut -- but then they would almost never have children. Or they could start a family, focus on motherhood and perhaps work part-time once their children were old enough to go to school....
...Younger women tend to be less supportive of a quota. This was also the case at the CSU national convention....
..Women are still paid less than men for comparable work. At the same time, women are also more likely to choose professions in which high incomes are not to be expected, so-called "women's professions,"...
...The quota is a tremendous opportunity to revise a German corporate culture that hasn't changed much since the 1950s....
Spiegel Online International
I'm sure if we're talking an individual who keeps their head down and does their work - sure they deserve equal treatment. But for a person that is forever harping on about entitlement - bleh.. No one is entitled to anything other than birth, life, love and death and taxes..
Fact is, not much has changed here in jobs since the 50s Wirtschaftwunder. Men came back to regular jobs, women were working as breadwinners due to the massive loss of life, but women as a general rule still make less even in jobs that aren't "Women's work".
Then you have the factor that people insist you set aside personal life and work for education, and once you have certain jobs, to set aside personal life until it's in order, pursue further education to get your alphabet soup, and it's no wonder that neither gender are pro having multiple (if any) children. There's just no time.
I do not agree with the quota. I find it discriminatory on many terms, though I feel there should be more done for those who need to work. With the large push here for higher and higher education and a full alphabet soup after your name (not joking here, it really is like that here!), and not working while you're managing your education ... something needs to be done to assist
everyone who is qualified, not just women. There should be a mentality that whomever is qualified and put in the most work and has the gracious attitude is the one hired and promoted - but it just doesn't work that way often times.
I agree there are not many women studying physics and other higher mathematically inclined jobs at the moment (though the number is increasing), fact is that in job avenues such as my husband's (Computer programmer), the only woman you'll find in the office is a secretary.
Athene and I aren't just blowing hot air here. There's some real issues going on in some places that do deserve attention.
I,
very personally,
do not wish to work outside the home at this time. I like staying at home with the kids.
As far as the kindergarten goals go here, it will create more jobs, but it is a near impossible goal to make. Our current kita has 100 students every year, divided by 4 classrooms with 4 teachers (2 for one half, 2 for the other half) of the 8 or so hours they're open any given day. IF they are to meet the goals, they have to be able to provide for babies as young as 3 months old, up to 3 years, including potty training, and other things that the teachers generally do not do - but allow for parents to teach. I've heard the director complain a number of times about it. She said if this happens, she will have to set an age limit for the kita, because anything under age 3 is too difficult to manage in an integrated setting of 20 children per class of varied ages. (3-6)
I totally see her point. A daycare is better suited than a Kindergarten. . . except there really isn't such a thing here.
...I digress...