For as long they have conducted the survey, its has been quite stable Swedish statistics that women in average prioritize social status and work environment over pay, while men prioritize pay over social status and work environment. Statistics from other sources like dating sites has also shown the same priority, where profile from women (that mention work) more often talks about social status and coworkers, while profiles from men that mention work more often talk about earning money.

As such, I don't believe your statement that women mining coal was a priority for women when mining coal was an up and coming industry. Coal mining has always been a low status and dangerous job, and as such its been exclusively a male profession.

A similar situation currently exist with under water welding. It is one of the highest paying jobs there is, but its below average in social status and has a very risky environment. As one of the most lucrative area, you would think there would be a push by gender equality advocates, but no. The focus is only to get more women in jobs which has high social status, rather than to create change in current gender culture.

Thanks for the interesting comment! Do you have a link to that survey?

Is software low- or high-status work?

I did not save it, and search engines are not really great on finding specific news articles based on queries like "what women and men want". Too much noise.

I did find people who has done a similar study, like http://www.sverigesingenjorer.se/Global/Dokumentbibliotek/Ra... page 18.

As for software development, there has been quite a few movies so far about CEO's of large software companies. I don't think there is that many other professions that get hero worshiping like that, except for doctors.

> It was a problem that there weren't more women mining coal when mining coal was an up and coming industry and one of the best ways for people to get ahead economically.

At which point you're seen as only caring about equality when it disadvantages women, which isn't how equality works.

It's just as important that we have a gender balance in coal miners (and nurses and teachers and prison inmates) as it is for software developers.

>It's just as important that we have a gender balance in coal miners (and nurses and teachers and prison inmates) as it is for software developers.

Or maybe we should stop preoccupying ourselves with this equality of outcome nonsense because in a free market people are allowed to choose their own career paths.