Women in justice mean several things to me. Because my area of focus isn't in justice I tend to think of how women relate to the business world in general. The area of justice I'm somewhat familiar with is female police officers, because of an old roommate who wanted to be one. In that field women have to be able to stand their ground against a male-ruled environment, and still find a way to be like one of the guys in certain areas. In the business world I follow a more general rule, one that I heard years ago. Employers want women in charge who can lead men. I no longer think in most situations that women are held back due to gender. More likely, it's due to childbearing and subsequent maternity leave, and women who choose to stay home with their kids who make less with home-run businesses. The one cultural factor that does come into play unfairly is that regardless of who's job is more demanding or higher in the food chain, women are expected to take responsibility for the majority of child rearing. That means moms are more likely to pick up a sick kid than dads. While many families may not have negative feelings toward this situation, it does have an impact on a woman's success. Single moms (like myself) have additional hurdles, especially when juggling multiple schedules. Successful ones may be able to hire nannies to allow more job options, but it can be very much like digging yourself out of a hole.
My reasons for choosing Psychology are because I love knowing what makes people tick. If I can find out how they got there I feel I know them even better. I also like helping people and make it known that if someone I know needs to talk I'm there. I will be going into the corporate world, but psychology has a real benefit there as well, especially in how one learns to deal with people.
I do look forward to this class and seeing how my current views compare with the material and if and how my views change over the semester.
