The Economic [R]evolution Will Be Feminized

The phrase I’ve heard from men most often of late: Women are going to save us.

The phrase I’ve heard from women most often of late: We need to be paid.

“If you increase the female labor force participation — in other words, the number of women joining the workforce, getting a job, producing value, offering services — you automatically increase the size of the economy.” ~ Christine Lagarde, Director International Monetary Fund

The work that’s done by women in our society is undervalued, though essential to our quality of life. It’s categorized as soft skills or emotional labor, and, as such, is often uncompensated. Our career choices are seen as work that’s part of a woman’s natural interest and, apparently, there’s some weird Puritan math formula that disallows fair financial compensation if you like your work.

Some examples:

• Home healthcare, healthcare for the elderly and disabled, and healthcare more generally are consistently among the fastest growing industries in the country, particularly as the American population ages; public schools, particularly in working class neighborhoods, are perpetually…