There are four parts in this activity containing four sets of questions. Each part starts with the questions, followed by the answers.

Part 1

Guess a number for each of the following questions. Jot down your guesses and compare them to the answers. It is unlikely that you will guess the exact number, but check the answers to see how close you are.

In 2012 the median weekly earnings of U.S. automotive technicians was $702.

• Question 1: Among all automotive service technicians in 2012, what percentage of them do you think were women?______%
• Question 2: What percentage of them do you think were Hispanic or Latino (both men and women)?______%
• Question 3: During the same period, what percentage of the whole U.S. workforce was Hispanic or Latino?______%

Answers for Part 1

• Question 1: Among all automotive service technicians in 2012, 1.2% of them were women.
• Question 2: 21.3% of them were Hispanic or Latino (both men and women).
• Question 3: During the same period, 16.9% of the whole U.S. workforce was Hispanic or Latino.

Part 2

Once again, guess a number for each of the following questions. Jot down your guesses and compare them to the answers at the bottom of the page.

In 2012 the median weekly earnings of U.S. dental hygienists was $1,045.

• Question 1: Among all dental hygienists in 2012, what percentage of them were men?______%
• Question 2: What percentage of them do you think were Black?______%
• Question 3: In 2011, what percentage of the whole U.S. workforce was Black?______%

Answers for Part 2

• Question 1: Among all dental hygienists in 2012, 0.7% of them were men.
• Question 2: 3.3% of them were Black.
• Question 3: In 2011, 13.1% of the whole U.S. workforce was Black.

Part 3

There are two lists below. The first lists four median usual weekly earnings in 2010 for men in management, professional, and related occupations. The second lists four different racial or ethnic categories. To the best of your ability, guess which racial or ethnic category corresponds with each median weekly earning. Jot down your guesses and compare them to the answers at the bottom of the page.

Median weekly earnings for men in management, professional, and related occupations:

1. $957
2. $1,002
3. $1,273
4. $1,408

Racial or ethnic category:

1. White men
2. Hispanic or Latino men
3. Black or African American men
4. Asian men

Answers for Part 3

1c, 2b, 3a, 4d

Part 4

Once again, there are two lists below. This time, the first lists four median usual weekly earnings in 2010 for women in management, professional, and related occupations. The second lists four different racial or ethnic categories. To the best of your ability, guess which racial or ethnic category corresponds with each median weekly earning. Jot down your guesses and compare them to the answers at the bottom of the page.

Median weekly earnings for women in management, professional, and related occupations:

1. $789
2. $812
3. $932
4. $1,143

Racial or ethnic category:

1. White women
2. Hispanic or Latino women
3. Black or African American women
4. Asian women

Answers for Part 4

1b, 2c, 3a, 4d

Summary

To recap, the following table provides a comparison between earnings for men and earnings for women in management, professional, and related occupations.

Does anything surprise you? What do you think educators can do about the disparities?

Continue on in this module to find out how you can identify the root causes of these disparities, and how you can affect the success of your CTE classroom, department, and/or school.

Note: The sources of the data in this activity are the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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