Still a Man's World

¶ … Man's World Women have been able to infiltrate career paths which, until recently had been impossible for them. Females have been able to get more college degrees than ever before which have increased their training and their job opportunities.

Despite the significant progress that women have made, it is still very much a man's world as illustrated by Christine Williams in a series of interviews where she studied males have started taking jobs in positions traditionally held by women, including nursing, librarians, social work, and teaching in the elementary school setting. In all occupations, there is a definitive advantage to being male. This is seen in both traditionally male occupations as well as the jobs which used to be female territory but have now become open to both genders.

Males almost always make more money and have a great deal more power than females who work in the same occupation. This attitude is not only found in laymen, but in the scientific communities as well. According to Williams, "The underlying assumption in most research on gender and work is that, given a free choice, both men and women would work in predominantly male occupations, as they are generally better paying and more prestigious than predominantly female occupations" (304).

The very fact that these occupations are male-dominated makes them appear to have more value. Socially, men have a higher value as well. Other males in the female-dominated workplace will seek out a male teacher or a male nurse. It is a sociological truth that people will often seek out like beings in order to build relationships.

Gender is one factor that the two people have in common and it will allow them to build a relationship that is likely stronger than the one a male will have with a female colleague. There are some disadvantages to being a man in a woman's domain because he will likely be subjected to stereotyping. Men are macho and brave. They are physically strong and emotionally stoic.

Males who do "women's work" are expected to live up to the stereotypes because there is relatively little real-life male by which the human being can be compared to. Then there the opposing stereotypes, those of the "sissy" male who is effeminate. While it might be understandable to the majority population for the latter type of man to take on "women's work," the former manly man would definitely be looked at differently if he took on a traditionally female occupation.

When a man proves to be human as opposed to a stereotype, this can pose a sociological difficulty unless it is posed as satire, like Arnold Schwarzenegger in Kindergarten Cop (Williams 304). You can have a macho male be a kindergarten teacher if it is a cover and he is actually a police officer looking for a vicious killer. It is when there is a cognitive dissonance between the type of personality needed for a job and the personality of an individual that it creates conflict.

In the workplace, the stereotypes that are applied to males can directly impact the person's career in terms of salary and in terms of potential promotion. One such stereotype men have to be mindful of is the idea of man as sexual predator. Males in female-dominated workplaces have to be extremely careful of how they interact with coworkers lest a friendly gesture be misread (Williams 310). However, they are still always paid better than women, regardless of whether they prescribe to or fight against stereotypes.

As registered nurses, teachers, social workers, engineers, physicians, college teachers, and lawyers, men make more than women doing the same job (Williams 306). Since men are not as represented in the first three of occupations, there is a great advantage to males who apply to positions in these fields. They are a hot commodity and thus they are offered more money and better chances of advancement in order to get these rare male applicants.

According to Williams, "Interviewees did not report many instances of male supervisors discriminating against them, or refusing to accept them because they were male. Indeed, these men were much more likely to report that their male bosses discriminated against the females in their professions" (308). Female bosses were also found to treat their male employees better than female employees in the same positions. Even males in the field are cognizant that they are more valuable in women's fields than the women who have filled these roles for decades.

Men are usually hired sooner, given raises far more frequently and also are promoted more often which openings are available. Williams found that there is a glass escalator effect for men doing a traditionally female job. It is similar to the proverbial glass ceiling that women have had to break through in order to achieve workplace equality, if indeed they have. However, there are not as many issues presented to men, which is why it is an escalator.