It's a reversal of traditional gender roles.  Young women now surpass young men in the importance they place on having a high-paying career.  That's according to new findings by the Pew Research Center. 

Working Women
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According to the survey, 66 percent of young women ages 18 to 34 rate career high on their list of priorities, compared with 59 percent of young men.  In 1997, 56 percent of young women and 58 percent of young men felt the same way.  There has also been an increase in the share of middle-aged and older women who say a high-paying career is one of the most important things in their lives.  Today, 42 percent of women and 43 percent of men ages 35 to 64 feel this way.  Fifteen years ago, 41 percent of middle-aged and older men felt this way compared with 26 percent of middle-aged and older women.

At the same time, the increased importance women are placing on their careers is not coming at the expense of marriage and family.  For men and women of all ages, being a good parent and having a successful marriage continue to rank higher on their list of priorities than having a high-paying career.

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