Upward Mobility—An Area of Conflict for Women

Abstract

Despite the gains made by the feminist movement that began in the 1960s, men continue to earn more money for the same work and occupy a greater percentage of high status occupations. In medicine, for example, there are many women who are pediatricians, but few who are surgeons. There are various ways to understand these phenomena including the problems women encounter balancing career and family due to inadequate childcare solutions. This article, however, focuses on the psychological implications that upward mobility has for women. It is the author's contention that many women equate upward mobility with familial desertion and that it is this fear that holds them back. Case examples are offered to support these points.

Key Words:

• Women
• upward mobility
• social class
• emotional/social abandonment