Top 10 Jobs with Wide Gender Gaps
Not trying to sound like an overbearing feminist here, but times are changing- and the traditional view that men should dominate particular fields just because they are men- must be done away with.
Over the years, we have naturally created a gender bias in which a woman seems less capable to handle the same job as a man.
Throughout history, women have always faced the struggle of having the same employment rights as men. In the late 1970s, women were highly underrepresented in the workplace as compared to their male counterparts. During the 21st century, however, women have little by little closed the workplace gender gap.
But regardless of this breakthrough, male-dominated fields still exist. Men get chosen for high-paying jobs over women simply because people still stubbornly hold onto the idea there are some occupations that strictly men are cut out for.
As long as this prejudice ideology remains prevalent in our world, many jobs will always have a higher percentage of men- making it harder for women to advance or level up to a higher position.
Since Women’s Awareness Month is quickly approaching, we should try to combat these traditional stereotypes that women face- Are men really more “fit” for certain jobs? Instead of looking at gender when selecting a candidate for a job, employers should focus on the experience and skill set of the individual.
Here are some male-dominated occupations, according to askmen.com.
Accounting and Finance- Less than 20% of the 47% of women employed in this industry feel that they have an equal salary compared to men.
Comedy- Did you know that there are not as many females who work on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart? Are you also aware that the audience of the show consists of 60% males?
Tech (STEM fields: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) – Men have always seemed to dominate this particular field. Women constantly struggle to earn the title “Computer Engineer” or “Medical Scientist”. Zooming in on a college in North Carolina, there seems to be a low number of female students in the College of Engineering at UNC Charlotte. Only 21% of Mechanical Engineers are female and only 6 % of women study Computer and Electrical Engineering combined.
Chef- Well, this is rather surprising. According to an article on Slashfood, “only 13% of executive chefs in the U.S are women, and they earn 24% less than men who hold the same title.”
Law Enforcement- Only 12% of officers in the country are women. Could this be because people believe men can handle criminals and nut jobs better? Maybe so.
Emergency Services- Fireman or fire woman? The International Association of Women in Fire & Emergency Services says that firehouses are set up to only accommodate men and that women experience sexism, gender bias, and lowered expectations while on the job.
Sports Media- Girls don’t play sports. They play Barbies and jump up in the air with pom-pom’s shouting cheers and catchy phrases. Believe it or not, as a little girl, my sister always played soccer and ran track. If a woman has a passion for sports, she should be allowed to report on a game. Fair and square.
Politics- We all know there are female politicians. Some of these might include Hilary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, and Sarah Palin. Roughly 96 members of Congress are women. The rest are male.
Construction- Have you ever seen a lady on the top of a house, screwing nails into the roof on a hot summer day? The hard, physical labor put into construction is something men typically tackle. Women aren’t huge fans of the physical and macho nature required by construction jobs. Do you blame them?
Mechanics- Yes, it is true men have a passion for cars, especially sports cars. Shall I say more?
While these fields consist of mainly men, it is believed that more women tend to take on job positions, such as childcare worker, secretary, administrator, receptionist, registered nurse, maid, and teacher assistant.
Top 10 Jobs with Wide Gender Wage Gaps
Women can work just as hard as men, do the same work, and be just as skilled- but still receive less pay.
According to Think Progress.com, “women who work in financial fields, marketing, and education administration face pay gaps even larger than the national average.”
There is still a generally large wage gap across a variety of different industries.
Below is a list of 10 careers with the biggest gender wage gaps and women’s earnings as a percent of men’s earnings. Percentages are pulled from the Think Progress website.
- Property and Real Estate Managers- 60.6%
- Personal Financial Advisors- 61.3%
- Credit Counselors and Loan Officers-61.6%
- Insurance Sales Agents- 64.4%
- First Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers- 64.6%
- Financial Managers- 65.9%
- Marketing and Sales Managers- 67.9%
- Physicians and Surgeons- 67.6%
- Chief Executives- 69%
- Education Administrators- 69.3%
But despite the fact gender gaps still appear in the workplace, many cities in the U.S. have increased women’s salaries so that they earn more than male employees.
According to WomensIssues.com, in Charlotte, and Raleigh-Durham, N.C., full-time working women earned up to 14% more than men in the last couple of years. Other cities where women are starting to earn more than men include New York, San Diego, and Los Angeles.
Let’s keep on with the trend. Perhaps women will push forward-and in the future not struggle to receive equal pay as men. Maybe we can live in a world where people can do what they love and be treated equally, regardless of whether they are male or female.
