The female workforce has grown from 18.4 million in 1950 to 65.7 million in 2005 with women now comprising 46.4 percent of the labor force.

However, certain fields continue to be male dominated—engineering, aviation, construction. And after speaking with a few former insurance agents, I got the impression that the insurance industry remains (albeit less so) pale and male. InsureMe's agent base reflects the demographics of the industry--the majority of our agents are also male.

Women in male-dominated professions have long faced a unique set of challenges from the blatant sexual harassment of the ‘70s to overcoming subtle but damaging stereotypes still present in many workplaces. Lack of childcare options, that nagging wage gap, the glass ceiling.

Although conditions have improved since the first sexual harassment case in 1974, one would think being a woman (or any minority) in a profession where white men once ruled the roost poses a unique set of obstacles.

Nothing stimulates the mind like a good debate, so let me know what you think.

Do men still outnumber women in the insurance industry?

Is gender still an issue?

As a woman in this particular field, what sort of issues do you or have you faced?

How has the industry evolved?