Women’s work

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I am here part-time and starting to think about my future. I don’t want the traditional career path for women. Where are women breaking down barriers?

At least half our readers should be particularly interested in this question, so we will address it. The media has reported for years on the gender pay gap; women 80% of what men earn. Researchers have shown that women do not enter the same fields as men, which excludes them from many high-paying jobs. When men and women have the same educational level, women still shy away from traditionally male-dominated jobs. We found many good-paying jobs, where women are not equally represented. Our questioner asked about non-traditional job opportunities, so we present them here.

Research has revealed that the top five female-dominated occupations in the US were childcare workers, secretaries, receptionists, admin assistants, and registered nurses. However, women are no longer culturally bound to these traditional career paths.

A number of alternative careers exist for determined women who want to break away from traditional roles in the workplace. The automotive industry is predominantly male orientated. In 2014, research found that an average of only 1.5% of the workforce in auto-mechanical and auto-body repair were women.

The appointment of Mary Barra as CEO of General Motors in 2014 was a landmark in the industry. It was the first time a woman had been placed at the head of a large automotive company in the US. If you want a career in engineering, you can choose from auto mechanic, motorcycle mechanic, automotive design or even truck driver, which has a lot of open positions in today’s economy. Women represent only 4% of the licensed truck drivers nationally, explains NewCity Movers. It is hard to improve these numbers with low application rates.

Other skilled trades with a traditionally low percentage of women workers include welders, electricians, carpenters and plumbers. Men dominate in these positions, as very few women are choosing skilled trades as a career path. We found success recruiting women already working at our company to learn skilled trades, reports a manufacturer of door handles.

Men have traditionally been pushed towards these trades due to their physical nature. However, these barriers have been broken down by dedicated women seeking new careers. Vocational programs and apprenticeships offer entry to these careers which include construction manager, aircraft mechanic, electrical engineer or oil and gas worker.

Information technology is another industry where women are underrepresented. Historically boys have been steered towards STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) studies while girls have not. Women have established a strong presence in science and technology fields and should consider this career path. Positions in the IT field are computer programmer, software developer, web designer, and database administrator, and all provide a promising future.

Women are no longer bound to traditional jobs and roles so take control of your future and pursue one of these non-conventional careers.

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent…

Eleanor Roosevelt.

Written by Nadeem Ghori, President of Webplex, a digital analytics agency.

 

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