Final answer:
Higinbotham and Wieber discovered that working-class women who moved into professional roles brought their life experiences into the public sphere and faced specific forms of oppression. The increasing presence of women in higher education and the workforce did not fully reflect the challenges they encountered, such as wage disparity and job segregation. Despite these obstacles, the contribution of women to society is better recognized now than in the past.
Step-by-step explanation:
Higinbotham and Wieber's research explored the shift of women, especially those from working-class backgrounds, into professional, managerial, and administrative positions. Women integrated their knowledge from everyday life into the public sphere. Scholars like Sharon Hicks-Bartlett found that women in poverty experienced a specific type of oppression, as they were tasked with keeping families together while managing low-wage jobs in the absence of adequate public support systems.
Women's advancement into the workforce and higher education has been significant, doubling in professional occupations from the 1960s to the 1980s. However, this masked the reality that most female wage earners were still in low-paying jobs. The Harvard Computers exemplify how educated women were historically undervalued, often receiving lower pay and tolerating poorer working conditions than their male counterparts.
Despite these challenges, feminist anthropologists have observed that in societies where women contribute directly to subsistence, they often enjoy greater social equality. Over time, the role of women has evolved, leading to increased visibility and participation in the workforce, though issues such as wage disparity, job segregation, and racial biases persist, affecting women's socioeconomic status.