The math behind:
Overview
If in 1925 women had gained an equal voice in how money is spent, teaching and law would have followed radically different economic paths. In our timeline, teaching became a heavily female-dominated profession (76% women in 2022) and suffered a 20–30% wage penalty due to occupational devaluation, while law remained male-dominated with an artificial wage premium. With gender parity from 1925, teaching would not have feminized to this degree, removing the wage penalty, while women legislators—who allocate 1.5–1.7× more to education—would have driven education budgets 25–35% higher. Over a century, compounded funding increases push teacher pay more than four times higher than in our reality, while the “male premium” in law salaries disappears. By 2024, teachers earn 12–18% more than lawyers, reflecting the true social and economic value of education.
Teaching is 76% female today, causing a wage penalty of 20–30% for the profession.
Events that led up to it
1925: Alternate reality begins
In this experiment, we went back 100 years and made women and men equal in the economy. Key changes included making women 50% of company executives, 50% of stock market investors, 50% of the startup founders getting funded, and 50% of financial decision makers at home.
1930s
Women in labor economics
Early women-led economic research influences labor standards and wage equity debates.
1960s
Gun safety laws pass
Comprehensive gun legislation enacted decades earlier with women’s representation.
1970s
Prevention research doubles
Expanded funding reduces national violence by up to 18% per decade.
1980s
Mental health programs expand
School-based services cut school violence by as much as 60%.
1990s
School shootings fall
Rates drop below 0.5 per year, never reaching the 2.3+ that triggered drills.
2024
No active shooter drills
Children enter school never having experienced an active shooter drill.
