5 ms·

So why not encourage men to pursue careers in nursing and teaching?

EduardoBautista 9y ago
I would go ahead and say because men are just not interested in those careers as much as women. That's the whole point. And that is fine.
- whowouldathunk 9y ago
  The point is disputed: to what extent are the differences biological vs. environmental? Hiring practices could influence preferences.
- hrktb 9y ago
  There were more men in these roles when it was more respected and well paid. As the relative wages and notarity declined, men started targetting ‘higher jobs’ For instance these are the numbers for teachers for the last decades: https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d13/tables/dt13_209.10.asp https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d13/tables/dt13_209.10.a...
- busterarm 9y ago
  If you talk to men who worked as primary school teachers (within the last 20 years) and then changed careers, you'll hear a lot of interesting stories of discrimination.
- lobotryas 9y ago
  Exactly. No one's worried that we have too few female coal miners or garbage collectors. These are physically demanding, not prestigious and often low-paying jobs. Hell, no one's worried that we have too few female oil rig workers and these ARE (in my understanding) high paying jobs. But STEM? That's somehow different.
  - DanBC 9y ago
    > Exactly. No one's worried that we have too few female coal miners > Hell, no one's worried that we have too few female oil rig workers There are programmes to increase the numbers of women in both those industries. There's news media coverage of it: https://www.forbes.com/sites/ellevate/2016/12/07/the-energy-gender-gap-still-a-long-road-ahead/#46a3ec282cad https://www.forbes.com/sites/ellevate/2016/12/07/the-energy-... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-business/11620315/Building-and-construction-industry-must-nail-the-gender-imbalance.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-business/11620315/Bu... There's research on it: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4279861/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4279861/
Overtonwindow 9y ago
There's a lot of effort going into this, actually. My father was a nurse for 30 years and in his nursing school graduation photo, and his retirement photo with his colleagues, he was still the only male. It's possible men view these fields as female dominated and resist applying. It also raises the awkward question of how men are treated in female dominated fields. Would a man be treated better in a female dominated field, than a female in a male dominated field, or the same? I've not seen research on this, unless someone knows of any?

I would go ahead and say because men are just not interested in those careers as much as women. That's the whole point. And that is fine.

whowouldathunk 9y ago
The point is disputed: to what extent are the differences biological vs. environmental? Hiring practices could influence preferences.
hrktb 9y ago
There were more men in these roles when it was more respected and well paid. As the relative wages and notarity declined, men started targetting ‘higher jobs’ For instance these are the numbers for teachers for the last decades: https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d13/tables/dt13_209.10.asp https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d13/tables/dt13_209.10.a...
busterarm 9y ago
If you talk to men who worked as primary school teachers (within the last 20 years) and then changed careers, you'll hear a lot of interesting stories of discrimination.
lobotryas 9y ago
Exactly. No one's worried that we have too few female coal miners or garbage collectors. These are physically demanding, not prestigious and often low-paying jobs. Hell, no one's worried that we have too few female oil rig workers and these ARE (in my understanding) high paying jobs. But STEM? That's somehow different.
- DanBC 9y ago
  > Exactly. No one's worried that we have too few female coal miners > Hell, no one's worried that we have too few female oil rig workers There are programmes to increase the numbers of women in both those industries. There's news media coverage of it: https://www.forbes.com/sites/ellevate/2016/12/07/the-energy-gender-gap-still-a-long-road-ahead/#46a3ec282cad https://www.forbes.com/sites/ellevate/2016/12/07/the-energy-... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-business/11620315/Building-and-construction-industry-must-nail-the-gender-imbalance.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-business/11620315/Bu... There's research on it: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4279861/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4279861/

Overtonwindow 9y ago

There's a lot of effort going into this, actually. My father was a nurse for 30 years and in his nursing school graduation photo, and his retirement photo with his colleagues, he was still the only male. It's possible men view these fields as female dominated and resist applying. It also raises the awkward question of how men are treated in female dominated fields. Would a man be treated better in a female dominated field, than a female in a male dominated field, or the same? I've not seen research on this, unless someone knows of any?