So it's bland and stodgy, but D.C. is also the hot, go-to place for ambitious women. "In the metropolitan region, one in six women earned more than $100,000 last year, the second- highest ratio in the nation behind No. 1 San Jose," reports The Washington Post.
That's in contrast to the nationwide statistic, where "about one in 18 women working full-time earned $100,000 or more in 2009."
Why are women vastly more successful in Washington? "The swelling ranks of well-paid women workers are largely attributable to almost three decades of growth in the number of women with the academic credentials to land good jobs. Women now outnumber men at almost every level of higher education, with three women attending college and graduate school for every two men. They get more master's degrees and more PhDs. Most law school students are women, as are almost half of all medical students," reports the Post.
In other words, brains wins over brawn--and that's usually good for women. "It's a city that runs more on cognitive skills than it does on physical strength," says James Chung, president of Reach Advisors, which issued the report, in the Post.
In fact, the success of women in Washington almost follows the script laid out in an article in The Atlantic ("The End of Men"), which argued that women will be taking over most of the higher- paying jobs in the near future, as manufacturing jobs continue to dwindle.
And what about women in D.C.'s legal sector--are they part of this pattern of success? The report didn't address the legal profession specifically, but some believe that the D.C. legal market--especially in the public sector--is more women-friendly.
Legal career consultant Ellen Ostrow says Washington is generally "more progressive" on issues like work flexibility. She says that "the back-and-forth between government and firms gives women more power." (The Post article says women make up "more than four out of ten of the federal government's civilian employees who rank high enough to earn $100,000 or more.")
Bridget Calhoun, a lawyer at Crowell & Moring, adds that the federal government, which is the largest employer in the region, has a "significant" impact on work/life policies at law firms. "The experiences of women lawyers working for and coming out of the government has likely had a beneficial effect on private industry."
Ironically, while the Beltway might be the center of action, it's not where women show the greatest earning power in the area. That honor goes to Fairfax County, where "one out of every four women makes more than $100,000."
The cradle of women's success is actually a Virginia suburb? Go figure.
Ellen in the Press 