II. WHAT ARE WOMEN DOING?

Do you know which of the following is true?
· A large percentage of physicians and attorneys are female.
· Women do all kinds of jobs
Only the first statement is true. The second is far from true.
The most startling feature of the world of working women in the new millenium is expressed in this shocking statistic: 42% of all women choose from only 6% of the jobs listed by the Department of Labor. Put another way, almost half of all women are contained in just twenty of the more than 359 different jobs listed. Imagine, of the 44 million women in today’s workforce, almost 20 million have flocked to just a few of all available jobs!
Women have made enormous progress preparing for and participating in the workforce in the last few decades. Women are in the majority on countless university campuses. They have entered the professions in greater numbers than ever. But, on the whole, they are still not engaged in the full spectrum of careers, blue or white-collar, available, and this fact is putting the brakes on their progress. It is time for more women to explore the remaining career territory, non-traditional occupations: currently Men’s Work.
What kinds of jobs are those twenty that attract so many women? Are they such wonderful, irresistible callings that nearly half of all women want them? Are they jobs that everyone, men and women, want if they can get them? Are they especially lucrative? Gratifying? Full of opportunity for advancement?
Here is the list of the twenty leading occupations of full-time, hourly-paid and salaried women in the United States, and the percentage of female workers in each field.
CAREER ___________PERCENTAGE WOMEN________
Preschool and kindergarten teachers 98.3
Secretaries and administrative assistants 96.3
Receptionists/information clerks 93.2
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks 91.4 Teacher assistants 90.0
Registered nurses 90.2
Nursing, psychiatric, home care aides 89.0
Maids and housekeeping cleaners 84.6
Office clerks, general 83.8
Elementary and middle school teachers 80.6
Cashiers 75.5
Customer services representatives 69.1
Waiters/waitresses 68.1
First line supervisors/managers, office and
administrative support 67.9
Accountants and auditors 58.3
Secondary school teachers 53.5
Financial managers 51.6
Retail salespersons 41.6
First line supervisors/managers of retail
sales workers 41.5
Cooks 39.3
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Annual Averages 2003.
These jobs have features in common. Most are considered nurturing, or support careers. Most of these jobs-- teachers, nurses, secretaries and maids, for example, are held almost exclusively by women. Men hardly ever do them. Most of these jobs do not lead to executive positions.
These are certainly some of the most important and necessary jobs in society. This work is valuable, and can be tremendously gratifying for its participants, if they have made the correct personal career choices. But the sheer numbers of women flooding the marketplace to do these jobs is cause for concern and examination.
Were all of these women aware of all of their career choices? Have they made the most careful, best possible choice for their particular needs and desires? Have they considered non-traditional job options that might pay more and provide more opportunity for advancement? Do they know enough about Men’s Work to disqualify non-traditional careers? Do they know that the women who do non-traditional work often find themselves surprisingly satisfied relative to many in traditional women’s careers?
Studies show that women tend to assist, support, facilitate and care for others in their work, rather than decide, delegate, invent or direct, which men are more inclined to do in their work. That’s all well and good, provided it is the result of a conscious choice of each woman, with priorities set and all things considered. Many women love a supportive, nurturing role. Many women care more about the psychological benefits than the financial gains to be had by working. But if good earnings, promotions, challenge and demand-based opportunity are high on a woman’s list of priorities, she needs to take a hard look at non-traditional occupations when choosing a career.
Without a doubt, women have made inroads over the years, into fields once dominated by male workers. A number of professions that once had few women now have many, and are no longer mostly men’s work in our society. Veterinarians, attorneys, doctors, are now just about as likely to be women as men. Still, there are dozens and dozens of jobs that women hardly ever take. Much of this Men’s Work requires no more skill, strength or risk, and pays significantly more than the many of the jobs women are now choosing. Only 15% of women are participating in dozens of jobs traditionally done by men.
If the block that is keeping women from these jobs can be eliminated, women will receive greater career rewards. If women begin making some different choices in work type and work style, there will be a new surge away from the gender gap in the workplace.