In this chapter, we'll first look at another aspect of choosing an occupation – that of discrimination against women in salaries and promotion. Although the entire occupational world is now technically open to them, women often experience great difficulty advancing in historically male-dominated occupations. However, women who choose the caring professions – the kind of work women have been allowed (even forced) to do – can expect to earn considerably less than those who dare to enter male domains. We'll look at some of the conflicts that girls face in choosing an occupation.

As in previous chapters – in discussions of motherhood, homemaking, advertising, and socialization – I'll concentrate on issues that are critical for individuals. Scholarly work in feminist studies has grown enormously in the past twenty years, and the temptation is to gather volumes of significant work, construct a curriculum, and pour the material into captive students. But I've been arguing all through this book against that way of schooling. Some students may indeed become so interested in matters related to women's studies that they will decide to pursue various topics in greater depth. Wonderful. The material in this chapter should be available to all students and should be used to launch critical investigations.