| American girls today are the daughters of the | | | | and 51 percent of professional degrees. |
| revolution -- the first generation that is | | | | |
| reaping the full benefits of the women's | | | | The professions of law, medicine, and |
| movement. Their mothers and grandmothers | | | | business administration are increasingly |
| fought and won the battles that produced the | | | | gender-balanced. In 1970, fewer than 10 |
| 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, | | | | percent of students earning graduate degrees |
| giving women the right to vote. They | | | | in these fields were women. In each decade |
| spearheaded the efforts that resulted in the | | | | since, that number has increased. Today women |
| 1973 Supreme Court decision of Roe v. Wade, | | | | earn approximately 40 percent of these |
| which legalized abortion. They pressed for | | | | professional degrees. |
| Title IX, giving girls equal access to sports | | | | |
| participation in school. Thanks in part to | | | | The 109th U.S. Congress (2005-2007) contained |
| the courage and perseverance of these foot | | | | a total of 84 female members -- the highest |
| soldiers, women today play a wide range of | | | | number in its history, with 14 women in the |
| professional sports, have easy access to | | | | Senate and 70 in the House, including the |
| effective contraception, and attend Ivy | | | | Minority Whip. In 2006, there were three |
| League colleges and West Point (Harvard and | | | | states where both senators were women -- |
| the U.S. military academies didn't admit | | | | California, Maine, and Washington. As a point |
| women until the mid 1970s). | | | | of comparison, in 1991 there were only four |
| | | | female senators and 28 congresswomen in |
| From a psychological point of view, the move | | | | total. |
| toward economic and social equality for women | | | | |
| has made our daughters see themselves in ways | | | | Since 1971, the number of women serving in |
| that are unfamiliar to those of us who are | | | | state legislatures had increased more than |
| older. Girls today are growing up in an | | | | four-fold. In 2006, 22.8 percent of the 7,382 |
| environment where the status of women is at | | | | state legislators in the U.S. were women. |
| an all-time high. The oldest members of the | | | | Women held 20.8 percent of the state senate |
| cohort of alpha girls we studied were born in | | | | seats and 23.6 percent of the state house or |
| the late 1980s -- a tipping point of sorts -- | | | | assembly seats. Three women served as |
| just as women began to outnumber men in | | | | presidents of state senates (CO, ME, WA), and |
| college. They have grown with women's | | | | two women were speakers of state houses (OR, |
| ascendance. Consider the following: | | | | VT). Additionally, women had been elected to |
| | | | statewide executive offices in 49 of the |
| The newest data from the National Center on | | | | nation's 50 states and held 25.7 percent of |
| Educational Statistics show widening gaps | | | | these positions across the country. |
| between men and women at the undergraduate | | | | |
| and master's degree levels. For the first | | | | Reprinted from: Alpha Girls: Understanding |
| time, women earned more first professional | | | | the New American Girl and How She Is Changing |
| degrees than men. In the 2004-2005 academic | | | | the World by Dan Kindlon, PhD (September |
| year, 59 percent of all degrees were granted | | | | 2006; $25.95US/$32.95CAN; 1-59486-255-9) © |
| to women. Women earned 62 percent of all | | | | 2006 Dan Kindlon, PhD. Permission granted by |
| associate's degrees, 59 percent of all | | | | Rodale, Inc., Emmaus, PA 18098. Available |
| bachelor's degrees, 60 percent of all | | | | wherever books are sold or directly from the |
| master's degrees, 48 percent of doctorates, | | | | publisher by calling at (800) 848-4735. |