Feminists - about predominantly female occupations?

Question

I'd like to hear what feminists think of as the eventual future state of things in occupational fields that women dominate, such as elementary education, or nursing, etc. Will an effort eventually have to be made to get an equal number of males in there with a kind of affirmative action? Or will we continue to pick proportionally from applicants as they come, and just see if things even themselves out, the way men seem to continually dominate certain things like the military?
I know it's not a high priority today, but I'm curious.

Answer 1

That's a really excellent question. And I really don't know.

The thing about most "women's" professions is that they come with little power and influence and - as another respondent noted - little pay and, many times, little thanks. There's less of a problem with having fewer men in a field like secretarial work, where little decision-making is done, than there is with having fewer women in positions of power, e.g., in Congress and the courts. (Did you know Congress STILL is comprised of only about 20 percent women?)

I think the men who want to go into traditionally female work - and vice versa - are just fantastic. But a lot's going to have to change to get women into welding and men into child care. (Again, which is better paid? By far, welding.)

Answer 2

I like to think that, as we become more evolved and women are more respected, that traditionally female jobs will attract more men. The jobs you mention are women's jobs- taking care of people, raising kids, tending to the sick. They are what women are supposed to do. If women's work was respected, there would be less of a stigma for a young man who wanted to enter those fields. As it is, male nurses and male elementary school teachers have to put up with a lot of BS.

If there is a bias against men applying for these jobs, which there may well be, I think an affirmative action program might be useful, to help well-qualified people actually get jobs. Then again, I doubt it's particularly difficult for men, considering that these jobs are generally understaffed anyway. At any rate, I hope it gets better as we continue to fight the good fight and slowly change cultural attitudes.

Answer 3

It may not be a high priority yet, but I would be willing to bet that this will rise as an issue of importance sometime in the future. There is a certain level of discrimination at work here - that if you are a male nurse you aren't "manly," that in being non-traditional there's something wrong with you; there are even individuals who question the sexual orientation of men who enter jobs dominated by women. I would hope - as a person who believes that no one should be discriminated against based on their gender - that in the future we will have moved forward enough as humans to get past these baseless stereotypes, and that more men will feel comfortable enough to enter any career path that suits them without fear of societal rejection and/or prejudice.

Answer 4

Not a problem. I've seen male teachers and male childcare workers, and I'm blown away on how good a role model they are for children and the way their caring side really comes through.
As for male nurses, that would be great if there were men working in this field if they wish to. My first experience with a male nurse was actually him being my midwife(sorry guys, I guess the name could be changed?) and he was fabulous.
He did a fantastic job of supporting me throughout my labour and never hesitated to suggest what might help me deal with the pain, such as music, showers, birthing ball, etc.
Unfortunately he had to finish his shift and a female midwife came in and she was cold and heartless, never a word of encouragment or anything and I felt like a piece of meat because she wouldn't come near me or anything.
That said, there is good and bad in each gender, but if men wish to work in these occuptations, then I have nothing but praise for them.
It's just a shame that a poster a few places above me said why would men work for slave wages?
Would this change if men were more willing to work in female dominated jobs, would the workers get paid more?
And this is something that feminism has been fighting for, why should female dominated jobs always be paid less?
Does it take men to enter these fields for the wages to be brought into line and for these careers to be seen as being worthwhile?

Answer 5

I don't like affirmative action or quotas. I think there are other ways to provide incentives for men to enter predominantly female dominated occupations.

I don't believe that goal is or ever was to have 50% representation by gender in every occupation. The goal was to remove barriers and offer *equal opportunity* to everyone to choose for themselves, with the understanding that we (in the US) live in a competitive capitalist economy. Why there remains any social stigma for a person to choose an occupation dominated by the opposite sex is a mystery to me. If you like it, and you are qualified, you should have a chance to DO IT.

Answer 6

There is already a move to recruit males into nursing. I work with several fine male nurses. The question is will the males want to be associated with a profession known to historically be women's work. It really isn't, it does take a certain kind of person to do nursing, but males can do the task just fine. Come on guys, if you know you want to care for people find a school and get started

Answer 7

Anybody who thinks that only male trolls create accounts pretending to be of the opposite gender should read this question. To answer the question, I've seen both feminist and non-feminist women treat men with respect.

Answer 8

I think that to help alleviate the nursing shortage (which, to be honest is also due to lack of training facilities and teachers) incentives, scholarships, and bonuses should be used to 'lure in' non-traditional students- like men.

It would not be legal where I live, where it is not legal to offer financial aid incentives based on gender, but I still think it is a good idea.

Anyhow, once a couple of guys take the initial step, it makes it easier for the ones who come after, and so on, until it is not unusual. It was once unusual to see men teaching primary school- but many do so today.

Answer 9

I never believed in gender- or race-based hiring, so I don't think that will be necessary. But I have seen a few of my male friends headed for education while my female friends and I are headed for business, law, and medicine. So it shouldn't be long now.

Answer 10

As men prove themselves as fathers and caretakers of children ( when they stop dumping their kids on women and using women for s*x) they will also contribute to a society where men dont murder and kill women and children. As we see them becoming more close to kids,, they will take up the jobs that involve kids and caretaking and wouldn't that be great? The worlds kids need a lot of good men right now but men right now are at a low point.

TO HALLOUS: pINK Collar?? Thats the most retarded thing IVe ever heard of and who cares about stenographers for chrsit sake. Thats like talking about men as shoe polishers. WHen the hell was this relevent.