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Why women should do "men's" jobs
Pink versus blue. Skirts versus trousers. Netball versus basketball. Do you ever think the divisions between girls and boys are a bit silly?
If you’ve started thinking about your career, you’ll probably have noticed that the same things happens in the workplace. There are certain jobs you’re just not supposed to do if you’re a girl. And that’s just the way thing are, right?
Wrong! A lot is happening today to get women into male-dominated areas of work. This International Women’s Day, we look at four areas of work where things are tough for women right now – but where change is happening. We also look at why we need women in all areas of work. And don't miss our key resources to help you begin your way along that career path.
Science and research
The situation today
Have you heard of STEM? STEM means science, technology, engineering and maths. It covers a whole range of jobs, from scientists who research cures for diseases, to engineers who design things like buildings, roads and bridges. These jobs are highly skilled, important for scientific progress, and help us make money as a country. They’re also very rewarding for the people who do them.
But of every eight people in a STEM job, only one is a woman. And this is hardly surprising. Go all the way back to A-level, and you’ll find that of all the STEM subjects, only biology has more female students than male. This is something you probably notice in class if you’re studying a maths or science A-level.
Why we need more women in science
Designers and engineers create things we all use, whether male or female. Because most things are designed by men, studies suggest that some offices are too cold for women, seatbelts are less safe for them, and tools are harder for women to use.
The lack of women in STEM jobs is also becoming a national problem. The government is worried there simply won’t be enough scientists and engineers in the future. This could affect the whole economy because, as a country, we can sell our technology and skills to other countries. STEM jobs also create more work further down the line, such as for construction workers who build roads and bridges.
How things are changing
There are lots of people trying to do something about this. For example, an organisation called STEMettes works with schools to show girls the jobs which studying STEM subjects can lead to.
They take groups of girls to STEM businesses, such as science labs and engineering companies, so they can see the kind of work that really goes on there. They also have a lot of information on their website – take a look to see what studying STEM could mean for your career.
Want to get into STEM?
- Career Zone: Science & research
- Why study physics? Careers physics can lead to
- Why study maths? Careers maths can lead to
The police
The situation today
In March 2015, the percentage of female police officers stood at 28%. This compares with 22% nine years earlier in 2006. And the percentage has not always risen over this period. In fact, it peaked in 2010 before falling, before flatlining over the next three years.
It’s not just a numbers problem. Women often face sexism from male colleagues, from name-calling to sexual harrassment. And because men outnumber women so dramatically, women are often in the minority, leaving them at risk when abuse takes place.
Why we need more women in the police force
The police are there for the whole community – and that includes women! When women experience crime like abuse by their partners, rape or anything else that is very personal, they don’t always feel comfortable talking to a man. If women police officers aren’t available to talk to, this might mean they don’t come forward at all.
Because crime is often to do with sex, or violence by men against women, a woman police officer might be more understanding or more approachable. Studies also suggest that women tend to trust other women more than men.
Women can also be more understanding. Often, when a person comes forward to report an incident, such as a problem at home or an issue with nuisance neigbhbours, it can seem trivial to others even if it’s a cause of major upset for the victim. Women are often better at listening and at understanding other people’s problems, while men are more likely to be dismissive.
How things are changing
Although the number of women police officers has not risen very quickly or dramatically since 2006, attitudes have changed a lot over the last twenty years – particularly compared with other male-dominated professions.
Partly, this has been thanks to something called the "Gender Agenda". The Gender Agenda is a scheme led by women which has succeeded in making the police force a much fairer place. It has given women a mouthpiece to talk about their problems and needs, and because it is led by high-up female police officers, many of the issues raised have brought about real change in the force. Surveys have suggested that discrimination is relatively low today.
Want to get into policing?
The law
The situation today
Actually, more women study law at university than men. In 2014, nearly a third of students accepted onto a law degree were female, and nearly half of all working solicitors were women.
The problem is not that there’s big difference in the number of men and women working in the law. It’s that the higher up you go, the less likely you are to see women in the top jobs.
When researchers surveyed over 100 law firms in 2014, they found that only two employed as many as women as men as "partners" – that is, senior managers who own part of the business. And in only five firms did women make up more than a third of partners.
If you look at the country’s law courts, you see a similar story. Only around a quarter of judges are women, while in the UK’s highest court – the Supreme Court – only one of the 12 judges is female.
This means that as it stands, although there are likely to be plenty of other women around you at university and work, you’re less likely to be promoted into a high-up job as a woman in the legal profession.
Why we need more women in the law
Lawyers deal with a lot of people. This includes the people they are representing, other lawyers, and judges. That makes soft skills such as the ability to communicate, persuade and negotiate, one of their most valuable assets. They also need to be understanding and see other points of view.
These are skills which women tend to have more than men – yet the higher up the legal system you go, the harder they are to find.
How things are changing
There may be a long way to go, but things have come a long way since the 1970s and 80s, when women lawyers were often expected to make the tea and faced frequent sexist abuse.
The number of women working as barristers (lawyers who defend people in court) has doubled over the last 20 years. The Bar Council, the organisation which represents barristers, spends a lot of money making sure women are supported at work and that their voice is heard, and there are lots of ways they can get specific support if they need it.
At the very highest level, the organisation that appoints judges has brought in a fairer system that ensures applicants get the job based on their abilities rather than their background. This means the panel will be looking at evidence of a person’s ability to take fair and reasonable decisions rather than where they have worked or what university they went to.
Want to get into the law?
- Career Zone: Law
- Interview with a solicitor: What is it like to work in the law?
- How Tara became a successful lawyer with the Law Society's Diveristy Access Scheme
Finance
The situation today
You’ve heard of the City? "Financial services" is all about making money from money by investing it in companies that are expected to rise in value. Financial services has a reputation for being a bit of a boy’s club, and with good cause. As in the legal world, the problem gets worse the higher up you go.
What’s more, the industry is lagging behind others in hiring more women, and conditions are much worse than for men. For women in the industry, average pay is half that of men, and bonuses (one-off rewards made when you perform well) are much lower as well. Women know about this, and it is putting them off going into the industry – but as you’ll see below, this has prompted some change.
Why we need more women in finance
Financial services is often painted as full of testosterone, with boys competing with each other to make as much money as they can as quickly as they can. This certainly isn’t a fair picture of the industry – but things could certainly be improved with more women on board.
Women are often less competitive than men, more level-headed and more responsible. Studies have shown that women are better with money than men at a household level, being less likely to take on debt or splash out unnecessarily. An industry based around financial decisions could certainly benefit from more of this!
This is reflected in the facts. Repeated studies show that the firms with most women on their boards made over a third more money.
How things are changing
There have been some improvements. A recent report showed that for the first time ever, more women were applying for jobs in the industry than men.
And it looks like that in some quarters, the industry is responding too. More women are being offered jobs than before the financial crisis of 2008, and many big companies are also committing to getting more women in, with Lloyds saying they want women to make up 40% of their workforce within the next six years.
A great way to get into the industry is through a training programme straight from school. Investment2020’s scheme gives you the skills you need to work in the industry by placing you in a year-long placement straight from school. What's more, you don't need phenomenal grades – they're looking for intelligence, enthusiasm and flair.
Want to get into finance?
Don't let your gender hold you back!
There may be a long way to go in all of these areas of work. But a lot has changed in recent years, and as more girls go into these careers, the pressure will change will grow and the fairer things will become. We say it's never been a better time to be a woman going into the science and research, the police, the law or finance. So if you're passionate, don't let your gender hold you back!
Image credits
Lead image, Girl engineers, Police officers, Women at the top via Wikimedia Commons
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