Gender and Career Shifts

Introduction

The changing employment choices across genders make for an interesting study.  The change in the number of women making significant in-roads into strictly male-dominated industries is also paralleled by a similar change in traditionally women-dominant sectors like early childhood employment, nursing, and so on (CHUSMIR, 1990). Having gone through several studies on the topic, I feel that an analysis of this change can indicate that traditional stereotypes are being replaced due to a major sociological change coming about in society as a whole. As society neither accepts the fact that persons of a particular gender are limited to playing a pre-defined role nor are there strict limitations in redefining gender roles in the workplace, the very concept of a particular sector being off-limits to persons of a certain gender is eliminated (Lupton, 2000). This social change forms the basis of my essay.

Thesis Statement

The changing gender ratio in employability is not limited to an increase in women employees in traditionally male-dominated sectors.

Gender as a determinant of Employability

While the glass ceiling is a commonly observed phenomenon among career women, the glass escalator is often cited as one of the reasons why men prefer to make in career in traditional women’s career choices like nursing. There remains a preconceived notion that such men enjoy a greater advantage over their women counterparts, particularly when contemplating leadership choices (Williams, 2013). While there may be some truth in this thinking, it fails to take into consideration the various transformations coming about in society as a whole (Make Meaningful Career Choices, 2016). The workplace of the 22nd century is very different from what it was even a decade ago. As individuals try to carve out a career in interesting fields of their choice, they tend to venture out into non-traditional bastions as well. I feel that it would be appropriate to state that a newer understanding of modern workplaces and career choices is essential to understand the thought process behind the changes.

With society as a whole being part of this change, career choices continue to evolve. Men and women have redefined their roles in society itself and their career choices also reflect this change (Trotter, 2017). Therefore I believe that assuming that gender is the primary criterion for career choice or career growth is inappropriate in the present job market. I feel that men in women-dominated sectors face the same challenges that women in male-dominated sectors have been encountering over the last few decades- social acceptance. I have seen that men in such women-dominant sectors are often treated as effeminate and inferior by their peers, just like women in male-dominated sectors tend to be criticized by other women. I believe that understanding the career dynamics, rewards, and consequences of such career choices is essential to understanding the change coming about in workplaces across the world (Cottingham, 2017).

Redefining the link between employability and gender

While it is obvious that men in non-traditional roles do tend to face a considerable career strain, it is also seen that such men are often even bullied by their seniors particularly of the opposite gender (Simpson, 2005). A male secretary faces many difficulties from female bosses, much on par with a female secretary working under a male boss. While I feel that such men are brave to venture out into newer professions, the reasons for their career choices are interesting and can be categorized into those who actively seek out employment, those who drift into it, and those who are forced into the sector due to dissatisfaction with traditional masculine sectors.

I feel that exploring the potential sources as well as the implications for such non-traditional career choices helps in a deeper understanding of the changes coming about in society as a whole (Williams, 2015). While a few decades back it would have been incomprehensible and career suicide to even contemplate a career in female-concentrated occupations, society has evolved significantly to accept this change in human behavior to a large extent (Make Meaningful Career Choices, 2016). While the acceptance of women in male-dominated sectors has enjoyed considerable attention, I feel that men in female-dominant careers tend to be ignored or even criticized by society as a whole. Managing their gender identity in non-traditional occupations is a major challenge faced by such men (Trotter, 2017).

I feel that redefining accepted social norms is the need of the hour to facilitate the entry of male employees into traditional female–concentrated occupations and vice versa (Williams, 2015). I feel that this would be helpful not only in maximizing the potential of possible employees but also in aiding social mobility within the workforce as a whole (Make Meaningful Career Choices, 2016).  The impact of this change on occupational outcomes as well as the attitude of society in general is a much-needed change in the workplace of today. Managing their gender identity in such non-traditional occupations has many implications both on the nature of the occupation as well as the work being carried out. I feel that any gender segregation, in such cases, would tend to hurt the inroads being made in social progress in the present century.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I believe that based on the various studies carried out on the subject, it would be apt to state that working in traditionally women-concentrated sectors is not a challenge. While it may offer some advantages, gender alone cannot be considered as a criterion for evaluating workplace performance. Often, men who play leadership roles in such occupations, tend to do so not based on their gender, but rather on their work-related performance and willingness to think out of the box- two important traits in a leader (Williams, 2013).

References

CHUSMIR, L. (1990). Men Who Make Nontraditional Career Choices. Journal of Counseling & Development, 69(1), pp.11-16.

Cottingham, M. (2017). Caring moments and their men: masculine emotion practice in nursing. NORMA, pp.1-16.

Cross, S. and Bagilhole, B. (2002). Girls’ Jobs for the Boys? Men, Masculinity and Non-Traditional Occupations. Gender, Work and Organization, 9(2), pp.204-226.

Lupton, B. (2000). Maintaining Masculinity: Men who do ‘Women’s Work’. British Journal of Management, 11(s1), pp.33-48.

Lupton, B. (2006). Explaining Men’s Entry into Female-Concentrated Occupations: Masculinity and Social Class Issues. Gender, Work and Organization, 13(2), pp.103-128.

Make Meaningful Career Choices. (2016). Successful Fundraising, 24(8), pp.4-4.

Simpson, R. (2005). Men in Non-Traditional Occupations: Career Entry, Career Orientation and Experience of Role Strain. Gender, Work and Organization, 12(4), pp.363-380.

Trotter, L. (2017). Making A Career: Reproducing Gender within a Predominately Female Profession. Gender & Society, 31(4), pp.503-525.

Williams, C. (2013). The Glass Escalator, Revisited. Gender & Society, 27(5), pp.609-629.

Williams, C. (2015). Crossing Over: Interdisciplinary Research on “Men who do Women’s Work”. Sex Roles, 72(7-8), pp.390-395.