Women dominate the classrooms

[NewsWhore]

Although women's presence in the political arena is still relatively small in comparison to men, the presence of women in the classroom overshadows that of their male counterparts and could have interesting effects in the future. Listin Diario writes that 61% of all students in the country's universities are women, as opposed to 38% male participation. The increase in female participation in academia could be a positive sign towards increasing the levels of equality between the sexes. According to Elba Franco, Education Director at the Ministry for Women, the reason behind this trend is an increase in self-esteem among this generation of women. Franco says that women have proved that they are just as capable as men and must be respected and valued. But there are still strides that need to be made. According a 2005 Central Bank report, the unemployment rate for women was 28.8% compared to only 11% for men. Income disparity is also a key issue. The report indicates that 43% of women make an average of RD$4,000 less than men. The report indicates that women make less money than men even when working in the same jobs.

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