Some Factors Affecting Earnings of Business and Professional Women

Early 20th‐Century Career Counseling for Women: Contemporary Practice and Research Implications

“…A study of women's earnings in 1929 demonstrated that college‐educated women, who at the time represented less than 4% of women in America, earned more than women who did not attend college in all occupational fields studied (Elliott & Manson, 1929). That study found that college‐educated women worked mostly in education (55.5%), with others working in clerical (11.8%), welfare (6.3%), health care (5%), sales (4%), and other occupations (17%).…”

“…Subsequently, researchers aimed to understand why women selected certain careers. Elliott and Manson (1929) asked how the most educated of women found themselves in some of the least paying jobs. They offered three possible explanations: (a) college‐educated women were financially able to enter low‐paying jobs; (b) financial rewards were less significant to college‐educated women; and (c) college women were more susceptible to traditional careers (Elliott & Manson, 1929).…”

“…Elliott and Manson (1929) asked how the most educated of women found themselves in some of the least paying jobs. They offered three possible explanations: (a) college‐educated women were financially able to enter low‐paying jobs; (b) financial rewards were less significant to college‐educated women; and (c) college women were more susceptible to traditional careers (Elliott & Manson, 1929). A contemporary view of these explanations can identify the underlying sexism that these claims make, such as the notion that education is “women's work.” The authors did not elaborate on other potential explanations for the restricted occupations among women.…”

“…Furthermore, most working women were unmarried or without children; only 7.3% of married women were working in the 1920s. These working women also experienced lower pay, less prominent opportunities, and restriction of occupational fields compared with their male counterparts (Elliott & Manson, 1929; Parsons, 1926; Pedersen, 1988).…”

“…Societal norms and feminized fields served as barriers for the women who could, or had to, enter the workforce. Thus, women's personal decisions, as Elliott and Manson (1929) suggested, were likely influenced by these barriers to employment, thereby leading to the dominance of college‐educated women in lower paying teaching and clerical occupations. Although there was an increase of working women, they were confined to socially acceptable roles.…”