Girl Power
The Spice Girls may have been right on!
Very few people would take the claim that the Spice Girls were prophetic seriously, but they may yet prove to be. Probably all us can say (without figures to back up our assumptions), that women’s position in society has improved over the past few decades. We now see women in powerful jobs that would have been barred to them in the past.
We have had two female Presidents in a row and even a female Tánaiste. Worldwide, women are taking leadership roles more and more, from Angela Merkel, the first female Chancellor of Germany (the equivalent of our Taoiseach), and Nancy Pelosi the first Speaker of The Unites States House Of Representatives. These help us understand just how far women have come, especially considering the fact that not long ago women were virtually owned by their husbands and bound to the kitchen sink.
Furthermore, the best may be yet to come. All our politicians and business people have been scratching their heads longing for the secret weapon to bust the recession. Yet, you may be surprised that one might just exist, and better yet, it comes with a purse! The much sought after solution is… women. Over the next four years women’s income across the world will grow by over 5 trillion dollars… yes trillion as in 5,000,000,000,000. This additional spending power could be exactly the booster shot our limping economy needs.
The gender wage gap (the difference between the how much women and men earn), is set to decrease. Although at present, men still earn more than double the amount women do; that divide will shrink over the coming years and even faster and further in the longer term. In fact, women’s income is already growing more rapidly than men’s. It is clear that the future is going to be more feminine.
The effects of this are even more powerful when we think of the type of industries that have been affected most by our unfortunate recession; think construction where the huge majority of workers are male. Female participation in the world of work is growing everywhere, but it is growing fastest in the poorer developing countries. The potential knock-on effect of this is greater equality for women where it is most needed.
Soon, contrary to the famous song line, it may indeed be a woman’s world. In Western countries, including Ireland, women outnumber men in college and university. In fact, for every 100 men in higher education there are 126 women. In developing countries, girls now have more access to primary and secondary education. A group of educated and empowered women worldwide could bring a seismic shift.
So, it is clear that the ladies are set to make a huge jump in the near future. For all the talk of feminism being dead, it seems its heyday may not yet have occurred. Women already control the majority of spending power in most rich countries and we all know that whoever controls the money has the power.
However, despite all these good signs this is not the time to crack open the West Coast Cooler and have a Sex in The City themed celebration. Women still face terrible persecution in many parts. In Afghanistan families are routinely threatened by Islamic extremists just for sending their daughters to school. In Ireland and most other countries women are shockingly underrepresented in parliament and government. So, while all you ladies out there are earning your trillions, you might just consider running for government!
Girl Power!
By: John Dunphy
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