Male-Dominated Occupations Are Those That Comprise 25% or Fewer Women

Male-dominated industries and occupations are particularly vulnerable to reinforcing masculine stereotypes that make it even more difficult for women to excel.

In the United States, only 7.2% of women worked full-time in male-dominated occupations in 2018.

Women’s job growth is driven by employment in male-dominated fields. Between 2016 and 2018, women’s employment increased by 5.0% in industries consisting of two-thirds men.

Women Face Challenges Working in Male-Dominated Workplace Cultures

Women working in male-dominated industries face a variety of challenges, including:

Societal expectations and beliefs about women’s leadership abilities.

Pervasive stereotypes, such as that of the “caring mother” or office housekeeper.

Higher stress and anxiety compared to women working in other fields.

Lack of mentoring and career development opportunities.

Sexual harassment.

Women use various mechanisms to cope with working in male-dominated work environments, such as:

Distancing themselves from colleagues, especially other women.

Accepting masculine cultural norms and acting like “one of the boys,” which exacerbates the problem by contributing to the normalization of this culture.

Leaving the industry.

Reports of Sexual Harassment Are More Prevalent in Male-Dominated Industries

In a 2017 survey, 28% of women working in male-dominated industries stated they had personally experienced sexual harassment, compared to 20% of women in female-dominated industries.

This heightened level of harassment is a problem even before women enter the workforce. One study found that women pursuing male-dominated university majors experience higher levels of harassment than women earning other degrees

Occupational Segregation Contributes to the Gender Pay Gap

Women and men remain concentrated in different jobs and fields, a trend known as occupational segregation.

In Europe, occupational segregation has improved very little since 2005.

In the United States, male-dominated occupations generally pay more than female-dominated occupations.

26 out of the 30 highest-paying jobs in the US are male-dominated. In comparison, 23 out of the 30 lowest-paying jobs in the US are female-dominated.

One study examining United States Census research from 1950 to 2000 showed that as large numbers of women entered male-dominated fields, the overall pay rate declined.

Some jobs, such as electricians and automotive service technicians and mechanics, have too few women employed to even compare earnings.

Millennials in the US are less segregated by sex in occupations compared to previous generations.

In Canada, women who participate in apprenticeship programs in male-dominated fields earn 14% less than men in median hourly wages and are less likely than men to attain a job related to their field after the program.

SELECTED INDUSTRIES AND OCCUPATIONS

Canada

Industry Total Employed—Percent Women (2019) Construction 12.1% Manufacturing, Durables 21.6% Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction 17.7% Transportation and Warehousing 23.5% Utilities 24.5%

Europe

Total Employed—Percent Women by Industry (2019) EU-28 France Germany Netherlands Sweden Switzerland UK Construction 10.2% 10.2% 15.4% 9.7% 8.2% 11.4% 12.5% Manufacturing 29.6% 29.9% 27.1% 22.7% 24.2% 29.7% 26.1% Transportation and Storage 21.7% 25.4% 25.2% 24.4% 22.3% 24.5% 17.7%

United States—Occupations

Total Employed—Percent Women (2019) All Women White Women Black Women Asian Women Latinas Civil Engineers 13.9% 10.7% 0.8% 2.3% 1.3% Computer Programmers 20.3% 13.9% 2.2% 4.2% 1.3% Construction Managers 10.0% 7.8% 0.5% 0.7% 1.7% Driver/Sales Workers and Truck Drivers 6.7% 4.9% 1.3% 0.1% 1.0% Mechanical Engineers 6.6% 4.8% 0.6% 1.1% 0.3% Software Developers, Applications and Systems Software 18.7% 7.5% 1.5% 9.4% 0.8%

United States—Industries

Total Employed—Percent Women (2018) All Women White Women Black Women Asian Women Latinas Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction 15.7% 12.7% 1.2% 1.2% 2.7% Construction 10.3% 9.0% 0.5% 0.4% 1.9% Transportation and Utilities 24.1% 16.0% 5.9% 1.3% 4.2%

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES



Full list of Quick Takes.

Catalyst, Ask Catalyst Express: STEM.

Catalyst, Quick Take: Women in the Automotive Industry.

Catalyst, Quick Take: Women in Energy—Gas, Mining, & Oil.

Catalyst, Quick Take: Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).

Sian Beilock, “Research-Based Advice for Women Working in Male-Dominated Fields,” Harvard Business Review, February 13, 2019.

Elliot Bentley and Soo Oh, “What ‘Women’s Work’ Looks Like Now,” The Wall Street Journal, October 14, 2019.

Harvard Business Review, “When You Work in a Male-Dominated Industry” (December 9, 2019).

How to cite this product: Catalyst, Quick Take: Women in Male-Dominated Industries and Occupations (February 5, 2020).