4 Male-Dominated Careers that are Seeing More and More Women

Introduction

Certain careers have always been dominated by men, especially since women didn’t “officially” enter the workforce until the 1960s. But women have been working in male-dominated fields due to men going off to war, thus creating a need to fill in roles in other industries. However, there are still a few male-dominated fields that don’t see a lot of women--- but there are some that are seeing more and more women.

#1: Architecture

Architecture is one of the top industries that drive the future of businesses but has always been a male-dominated industry, but that has changed in recent years with only 1% of architects being women in 1958, and slowly rising to 4% 40 years later. Among the colleges and universities, 50% of architecture students are young women, but interestingly, only about 25% of actual architects are women. The reason may be that women are often discriminated against in this industry (among other industries). Half of all women architects report being discriminated against in some way in the workplace, but also about 25% of men have reported this too. Hopefully, in the near future, that will change for both women and men.

#2: Construction

Contractors, construction managers, project managers, carpenters, electricians, and plumbers are just a few jobs that are associated with the construction industry. Women make up only about 10% of all individuals working in construction, with only 1% actually working on the front lines. Construction is definitely a career that is most often described as a “man’s job”, similar to how nursing is most often considered a “woman’s job”. Fortunately, both industries are beginning to see a little bit more diversity due to the need for it in both of these fields. Both industries are also in desperate need of more workers in general, regardless of gender, race, and other identifying features.

One thing to take note of with this industry is the dangers involved. For both men and women, there’s the risk of getting injured by improper use of the equipment but also with transport. Whether hauling materials or crew members from job site to job site, there’s always the risk of injury from being in a car accident. So when choosing this career path, always be mindful of safety in every facet.

#3: Information Technology (IT)

IT includes job titles such as computer programmer, network engineer, software developer, support specialist, systems analyst, and web technician. This is a field that has long been dominated by men, as only about 20% of all computer programmers are women, and only about 24% of the entire IT industry is made up of women. Fortunately, the amount of women in the world of technology has been constantly increasing, which is a good thing, because this means that the IT industry is seeing more diversity and also more creativity.

Unfortunately, women have been discriminated against in the IT field which has deterred many women from pursuing a career in technology. The Women in Technology organization is dedicated to helping women advance their careers in the technological world.

#4: The Military

Women have been seen in various positions in the military since the First World War (WWI) in 1914. Their roles mainly consisted of being nurses, cooks, and other “housekeeping” type jobs. Today, about 14% of active-duty soldiers are women, with about 18% being reserve and National Guard. By branch, the statistics of women in the military look like this:

• About 9% of all U.S. Marines are women.

• About 16% of the U.S. Navy is made up of women.

• About 17% of the U.S. Army is made up of women.

• About 20% of the U.S. Air Force is made up of women.

The representation of women in the military is small but is still growing. Unfortunately, this is still yet another field where women are often discriminated against. This is a factor that may deter more women from entering this field, and also the fact that the military is a dangerous field, though it is no more dangerous for women than it is for men.

Of course, men have seen their fair share of discrimination in certain industries. With more fields of work seeing more and more diversity, hopefully, this discrimination across all lines of work will stop.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or the management of EconoTimes