While they do get paid a bit more in the “green” economy, a much lower percentage are working in the “green” economy. Supposedly, there are 3.4 million “green” jobs (school bus drivers, scrap metal workers, employee at a bike shop, and, yes, even an oil industry lobbyist) out there, but….
(Climate Progress) ….the green sector offers new opportunities for good-paying jobs across the U.S. and raises the question: Are women benefitting from the transition to a green economy as much as men?
A new study suggests not, finding that women hold just three out of ten green jobs in the U.S. and are making less than men in the green sector. In the report “Quality Employment for Women in the Green Economy,†the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) provides estimates of the number of green jobs held by women within each state, industry and occupation using data gathered from surveys (BLS Green Goods and Services Survey and U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 2008-2010), state reports and a 2011 report on green jobs (Brookings study). Several of the key findings from the report include:
- Women are underrepresented in the green economy, holding just 29.5 percent of green jobs compared to 48 percent of the total U.S. workforce
- The distribution of jobs in the green economy is more concentrated in industries that typically employ more men than women, including manufacturing, construction, transportation, warehousing and utilities
- Women’s share of green jobs is expected to stay low since the occupations that are projected to see the most growth are traditionally held by men (heating and air conditioning technicians, carpenters and electricians)
Their incomes are a bit higher and the income gap is smaller in the “green” sector versus the private sector, but, overall, the “green” economy is inherently sexist. Good job, Obama!
I should probably stop there, but, there is a lot of interesting information in that Brooking study. For one thing, the “clean economy”, as they term it, only has 2.7 million workers, not the 3.4 million that has been cited for years (one would think that number might grow at some point). One of the top sectors is “regulation and compliance” (141,890 jobs). They are terming “public transportation” as a “clean job”, even though a good chunk relies on fossil fuels. We also learn that all these types of jobs were created initially under Bush 41, Bill Clinton, and Bush 43. None for Obama.
And, once again, let me point out that there is nothing wrong with “clean” jobs and the “green” economy. We should look to being more environmentally friendly (not talking about CO2, but, we could do with reducing Methane and a few other greenhouse gases that are much more potent than CO2). Look towards eventually replacing oil, both for fuel and lubrication, with products that work (unlike using corn for fuel). Less land, sea, and air pollution (again, not talking about CO2). My problem with the way Obama does it is that he uses taxpayer money to reward campaign contributors and push certain programs, regardless of whether they have any chance of succeeding, plus the way he pushes it for “climate change”. He had a chance to really push it and get both sides involved, but, he had to get hyper-political, as usual.
Oh, and I blame Obama for the green economy being sexist.
Crossed at Right Wing News and Stop The ACLU.
It ain’t easy being green!
(yep, had to do it)
I’m shocked that there’s no “green kitchen” jobs available for women. Oh, I guess the green job of “carrying out the trash” was already taken.
(snort)
I agree Teach. Had the money been spent to actually research NEW alternatives, push the truly green power sources, and end funding of bankrupt and unwanted cronyism, the stimulus might have worked.
The question isn’t, “Are women benefitting from the transition to a green economy as much as men?” The question is, “Are we really transitioning to a green economy, or is that all just a bunch of bovine feces?”
The question is, Is a woman making me a double bacon burger sammich a green job? If not, I don’t care.
