About 60 years ago, only one in three women participated in the labor force. Also during that time period, only about 37 percent of female college undergraduates completed their degrees, according to the United States Census Bureau.

Today, the current percentages of working men and women are inching closer and closer to a 50-50 split, with 49.1 percent of the labor force comprised of women, according to 2009 figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Women are also exceeding men in education, with 58 percent of bachelor’s and 60 percent of master’s degrees awarded to women during the 2008-2009 academic year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

“College degrees have closed the gap between men and women in business,” said Mary-Grate Pyros, President of Financially Focused, Inc.. “Education is an equalizer.”

While the increased presence of women in the workforce and on college campuses is a significant benchmark in the battle for gender equality, juggling professional and personal obligations remains one of the biggest challenges for working women with families. Women continue to cite societal norms defining traditional male and female roles and childcare concerns as major issues.

“The work-life balance continues to be a much more fundamental issue for women than it is for men,” said Dr. Cynthia Kay Stevens, a Robert H. Smith School of Business professor.. “Employers want to make the most use of their employees’ time. There’s still this unconscious thought process: if we hire a woman with a family for this position, will she be able to devote as much time as a man?”

Freshman business major Rebecca Brown is already aware of the struggles she may face in the future.

“Women definitely need to work harder to prove themselves in the business world,” Brown said. “If a woman wants to be a mom, this can be very difficult. But you can apply a business degree to many different careers. I knew I wanted a versatile degree because one day I want to balance a career with motherhood.”

Despite ongoing obstacles, there has been some recognizable improvement in the status of women in business.

“Today, there are more women in senior positions than in the past,” said Sarah Kroncke, a Robert H. Smith School of Business professor. “There’s a general acceptance that women are capable of handling these positions. And changes in the traditional family structure are allowing men and women to make decisions on a family level in terms of what’s best for them.

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