Who Needs Mad Men?

I read an article in The Guardian today about how people are idealizing the 1950s because of the TV series Mad Men, but also forgetting what it was like to be a woman in that era. A couple of things make me think that while Louisiana exists in the universe of 2012, we haven't actually made it out of a much earlier time in history -- at least as it relates to the status of women.
Over a year ago, when I was really struggling financially and trying to figure out what to do in terms of work, one of my roommates, Margaret, laid things out for me really clearly. "You can be a teacher or a nurse if you want to stay in New Orleans." Margaret opted for the teaching path. One of my previous roommates had chosen nursing.
I recognize that given the attacks on women's healthcare across the country, this maybe should not be such a surprise. And, as you all know, I have (so far at least) chosen not to go down either the teaching or the nursing roads, taking, if you will, the one less traveled.
Still, the fact that this is the reality facing educated women in this town is pretty appalling. It also doesn't help that a bill that would have mandated that state and local government entities pay women and men the same rate was killed by an all-male labor and industrial relations committee. Maybe they don't understand what it means to be a working woman in a state that consistently ranks 49th or 50th nationally in terms of pay disparity between men and women. I'm guessing that they don't.
Women in Louisiana on average make 67 cents for every dollar a man earns. African-American women make only 48 cents for every dollar a White man earns.It's sad that a bill mandating the government pay its own employees equally regardless of gender can't make it out of committee. It's worse that for so many, the question of equal pay is a non-issue.