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Working Women

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Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science

Synonyms

Career women; Working mothers; Working women

Definition

Working women are those who seek paid employment, usually outside of the home.

Introduction

In the twenty-first century, an increasing number of women in industrialized countries are seeking full-time paid employment outside of the home (Galinsky et al. 2011). In the United States, men and women do not differ in their desire for higher-paying jobs. It is more and more common for women with children to seek out jobs with substantial responsibility. In the United States, this trend began during World War II out of necessity, as many men were involved in military service abroad and the country had an immediate need for manufactured goods and important services (Weatherford 2010). In the 1950s, 42% of women 18 years of age and older joined the workforce (Galinsky et al. 2011). By the latter twentieth century, the percentage had risen to 57% (Galinsky et al. 2011). Women’s increasing presence in the workforce is related to...

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Correspondence to Megan Downing .

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Downing, M., Kennison, S.M. (2017). Working Women. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_822-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_822-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

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