The Role of Women

As a women entering into the full-time work life within the next couple of years, I was wondering how far we really got in the often-cited process of emancipation. Surely, life has changed since my grandmother was born. The number of female attorneys, managers, and doctors has increased and when walking into a grocery store, you will see several men shopping for their families. But how equal are men and women, when it comes to bonuses, promotions, and acknowledgement? Or, put differently, does gender matter? In order to answer this question, this paper will proceed as follows. First, the historical situation of women will be outlined. Then, past efforts and achievements will be recapitulated in order to provide a basis for the following description of the current situation of European women concerning their professional lifes. Thereafter, two general theories, the glass ceiling and the glass escalator, will be introduced and evidence for their existence will be searched. If the answer to the above-stated question turns out to be positive, areas of further endeavors will be suggested, before the main points of the research will be restated and a final answer to the question at hand will be offered.