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US
Census data show there is often a clear difference between the career
choices of men and women. While women dominate the occupations in
Healthcare Support, men represent a
higher percentage of workers in the Construction and Extraction
occupations. Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters and Steamfitters are
more likely to be male, while Secretaries
and Administrative Assistants are more likely
to be female. While some ‘traditional’ female occupations, such as
waitresses and maids, are relatively low
paying jobs, women also dominate in more
high-paying occupations, such as registered nurses and teachers.
According
to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Rhode Island women working
full-time earned a median weekly wage
of $597 in 2005. This was 77.9 percent of what full-time working males
earned ($767) that year - the 4th
highest earnings ratio in New England and the 31st highest in the country.
Since 1998, the earnings gap between Ocean State women and men working
full-time has improved when compared to regional neighbors and the nation
as a whole. Whereas Rhode Island women had earned 71.2 percent of what
men did in 1998, the ratio had improved to
77.9 percent by 2005. This 6.7 percentage
point change was the highest reported in New England and the 12th highest
recorded among the fifty states during this period (tied with Maryland).
In 1998, females earned a median weekly wage
of $455 compared to $638 earned by
males. By 2005, women’s median weekly earnings had increased by 31.2
percent (+$142) to $597. In contrast, the
median weekly earnings of Ocean State males rose to $767, a 20.2 percent
(+$129) increase.
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