The "Mad Men" Era is still with us, even though many think it ended decades ago.

The men in expensive suits still pull all the levers of our society. They decide which candidates will get elected, how long they stay elected, and what futures they have once they leave office. They decide company policies, wages, and political policies.

No matter how many Lilly Ledbetter-esque laws get passed, the IMPLEMENTATION of such laws is what really matters, and we all can see daily how well republicans/captains-of-industry/media moguls/wall street whizzes manipulate things so that no matter how many "changes" happen, things will pretty much stay the same as they always were.

I think we can all agree that the relentless cycle of boom-bust/recession-inflation for decades now has wreaked havoc on most of us, but the ones-at-the-top do very well no matter what condition the economy is experiencing at any given time.

The recent furor over women shows us all how little has really changed. A guest on Andrea Mitchell's show just relayed a fact that in half a century now, women have really only made a HALF-CENT "gain" overall in wage parity.

The "workplace" (not talking service jobs here...that comes later) has always been a male-bastion. The Good Ole Boy Network is alive & well and still has a "NO GURLZ ALLOWED" sign . There are a few exceptions, to be sure, but for the most part, the boardrooms/executive suites are populated by men in expensive suits. They probably have wives or girlfriends or gal pals...or all of those simultaneously, but when push comes to shove (or paychecks & perks) the boys stick together.

Females are now outnumbering males in graduation from college (and probably have for a while now), but it takes a really long time to advance in one's career from newly-minted graduate (loaded with debt) to CEO/boardroom position, etc., and women are in a particular pickle if they also want an "outside-work-life" with children/family.

Men have always had an edge since they are not the ones who actually have the children. Modern Dads are much more hands-on and helpful, but they still tend to be the main income earner in most families, so a "woman's work" is is still considered (by society) to be less worthy.

The Mad Men era was an extension of college for many men (and still is, to some degree). The "gals" at work were there for the "picking". The "work-wife" was their helper, their gofer, their buddy, and sometimes their shoulder to cry on, about how their wife didn't understand/appreciate them, etc (we all know what happened next).

Women have ALWAYS worked, but for many that was work within a family business or in an altruistic venue, such as teaching, nursing, etc. Once upon a time, it was assumed that when women entered the workforce (corporate-style), they would do it for a while, and then leave when the biological clock could no longer be ignored. What most people never figured on, was that the economy would change so much that women working outside the home for pay would be a permanent way of life. Society & politicians (especially GOP) takes a bifurcated view of what has happened.

Some men-in-suits still view the workplace as "Dating-Central" where people meet & pair up (the school extension thing).

The "office women...the young ones" are just temps...there for a while until they "settle down", so they are not worthy of much consideration to their work-needs. "If they don't like it, they can get a different job".

Some men-in-suits see women as usurpers who want their jobs, so they are undermined and made to feel unwelcome.

A guest on some morning MSNBC chatfest today mentioned the sorry state of affairs when it comes to company sponsored child care. Except for a very few companies who have been pressured into this sort of endeavor, most companies have no interest in making anything "easier" for women employees. They see any "added expense" for the company is unnecessary, since the old model worked so well.

That was the Mad Men Model. Young/cute "gals" come to work..they stay for a while and when they "find their man" they retreat to the suburban lifestyle and a whole new crop of "gals" show up.. They ( as a group), were due no special perks. Hell, just getting to work for a paycheck alongside such wonderful "guys" was plenty.

Blue-collar/pink-collar jobs have always been the bastion of the "lesser-thans", and no one really gives a crap about them anyway..No one in politics or the boardrooms, that is.

"Those people" chose their parents/societal status unwisely, and it's just fine for them to work at the undesireable jobs with few, if any benefits.. men or women...makes no difference.