Pop culture reflects women's growing discontent with societal norms and expectations.

• Young women are just as likely to work as young men, with women aged 20-24 accounting for about 50% of total employment, according to Federal Reserve data.
• But women are still picking up a heavier load at home.
• TikTok videos and Taylor Swift's song lyrics showcase the ongoing imbalance in pop culture with a modern twist.

Despite facing numerous challenges, women have been making remarkable progress in their education, careers, and work hours, often equaling or surpassing their male counterparts.

A recent analysis of Federal Reserve economic data shows that young women are just as likely to work as young men, with women aged 20-24 accounting for about 50% of total employment.

The Fed researchers discovered that the dynamic of marriage and childbirth tends to remain stable until a certain age.

Teresa Ghilarducci, a professor of economics at The New School for Social Research in New York, stated that the trend was unavoidable.

She stated that women have attained parity in the workplace, "yet not complete equality."

'Despite crying frequently, my productivity is impressive, almost like a work of art.'

Women are feeling the strain of daily life in pop culture.

The line "I cry a lot, but I am so productive, it's an art" from Taylor Swift's song "I Can Do It With a Broken Heart" resonated with her mostly female listeners from her latest album, "The Tortured Poets Department."

More than 180,000 short-form video posts on TikTok featured the lyric.

I am very productive, even though I cry a lot.

According to Casey Lewis, a social media trend forecaster and author of newsletter After School, the fact that the concept resonates with both millennials and Gen Zers suggests that Gen Z is experiencing the same "girl-boss" pressures that millennials are known for.

Young women face a great deal of pressure, according to Lewis.

Another song that resonated this year was "I'm searching for a man in finance, with a trust fund, who stands 6'5", has blue eyes..." by Megan Boni. She shared the song on her TikTok account @girl_on_couch on April 30, and her 20-second video has already garnered over 58.4 million views.

According to Lewis, "a lot of single women are searching but not discovering what they desire."

Some women are choosing to abandon their careers and embrace the role of a "tradwife," which involves adhering to traditional gender roles and prioritizing domesticity, as depicted in the latest viral social media trend of 2024.

Young women, whether they are married or not, are expressing a desire to "take a step out of the professional rat race," as previously stated by Lewis. Being a tradwife is "an excuse to step back and do less."

Women have always been just as capable and productive as men.

Despite being more likely to take time off work or work fewer hours due to caretaking responsibilities, women still shoulder a heavier load at home, according to a Pew Research Center survey.

Richard Fry, a senior researcher at Pew, suggests that the unavailability of affordable childcare could be contributing to the issue.

A KPMG analysis reveals that the childcare crisis, which had been simmering prior to the pandemic, has now come to a boil. From 1991 to 2024, the costs for child care rose at nearly twice the pace of overall inflation.

Where are the men?

The number of men leaving the workforce is increasing, particularly among those aged 25 to 54, who are in their most productive working years.

Over the past decade, fewer younger men have been enrolling in college, while men without a college degree are leaving the workforce at a higher rate, according to a study by the Pew Research Center.

According to Pew's Fry, the cohort often referred to as NEETs has been most affected by globalization and the decline of manufacturing in this country.

"According to Fry, "If you don't receive compensation for your efforts, you will be less inclined to work." This is a fundamental principle in the field of labor economics."

According to Julia Pollak, chief economist at ZipRecruiter, last summer's "Barbie" movie accurately portrayed Ken as a young man in America with no place or role.

Still, overall, men continue to outpace women by other measures.

The Census Bureau discovered that men's real median earnings increased by 3% when working full-time, year-round, while women's real median earnings increased by 1.5% in the same circumstances.

In the latest Deloitte Women at Work report, 37% of women stated that they prioritize their partner's career over their own, a slight increase from 2023. This is due to both their partner's higher earnings and societal or cultural expectations.