Are Jobs Stereotyped?
Women Are Secretaries And Men Are CEO’s?
“Men and women aren’t planets apart,
but their stereotypes sure are!”
—Nancy Clark
One of the situations that motivates me to keep on bloggin’ is that most working women are not promoted above mid-management positions. This is not what you would expect when 6 out of 10 college diplomas are awarded to women and half our workforce is now female. My goal is to convince each woman to think about why this is happening and to decide this won’t happen to her, and that she’ll do her best to alert other women.
My topic involves the types of jobs we usually see doled out to women. At another time I’ll cover the industries or fields where women are dominant and the ones where men are dominant.
Do current stereotypes lead us to picture women doing certain types of jobs and men doing completely different jobs? Do you associate a particular gender with these jobs?
- Secretary
- Cashier
- Receptionist
- Mid-level supervisor
Do you associate a different gender with these jobs?
- CEO
- Executive Vice President
- Chief Financial Officer
- Member of the Board of Directors
The big questions I want you to think about are:
- Do women choose these jobs because that’s what they want?
- Do women believe their choices are limited to approved categories?
- Are women taught that they should want to serve others in particular ways?
Do you think being a woman has anything to do with where you are now? Do you want to change things? Are you worried that attempting a change will be a strain for you? Well, it will take you out of your comfort zone, but picture successful end results, and you’ll be spurred on. It’ll be worth it!
It all starts with that first job. As one young woman told us at WomensMedia, “I’m not really a secretary. I have a degree in economics.” She was offered a job with the type of firm she longed to work for, but they told her she’d have to start as a secretary. “Did any men find themselves in this same situation?” I asked her. She told me one man did, but most of the recent college graduates offered secretarial positions were women. It’s obvious the women did not expect that their college diplomas would land them in secretarial positions. And, of course, they all thought, “This will only be temporary.” Why does this happen? Stereotyping is the main reason. We picture women filling these roles, and are usually surprised when men fill them.
Managers—both men and women (yes, recent studies show we’re guilty)—offer women these low-paying positions. It’s unfair, but easy on the budget. And you’re probably thinking now, “Hey, this must be part of the reason women make less money than men for full-time work.” and you’d be right. Poor, and right. Let’s start to make changes.
Now, here’s my Tip of the Week.
Tip:
Let’s say you’re offered a low-level, non-challenging job. State what your desired title is and ask if one is available. I advise women to state this more than once so others get the impression that you’re a woman who does not give up. If you believe you must take this job, ask if you can revisit the discussion of the other position in 6 months. After you start the job, email a memo to your boss mentioning that you appreciate that he, or she, agreed to another discussion (in 6 months) regarding the position you were looking for. Email is a good way to document when topics were discussed. Save your email. Speed up your promotion.
Further Reading:
Podcast (always less than 10 minutes), Working in Heels, by Nancy Clark, Stereotypes, Not Differences, Are Holding Women Back —Mars-Venus Stereotypes Are Barriers To Women’s Advancement? or read it here.
Blog, Women’s Lunch Talk, by Nancy Clark, Communicate Without Losing Your Authority —Assertive, Not Aggressive, Works Best For Women or listen to it here.
Website, WomensMedia, by Hilary M. Lips, Radford University, Women and Leadership: The Delicate Balancing Act
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