What does it look like to be a woman in male-dominated work industries? Catalyst.org says that most women working in male-dominated industries have faced many issues 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
Such obstacles may result in dissociation and even leaving the industry to get away from the toxic work environment.
According to Statistics 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.
Canadian women’s voices in male-dominated work industries are speaking up about the occupational segregation.
Kamryn Watson is in the Landscape design program at Fanshawe College she expresses how she addresses gender issues in a workplace.
“Be upfront and open and honest. I think if you feel that you have been taken advantage [of] or that you aren’t getting the same opportunities as somebody who has the opposite gender. I think being upfront about that and opening up to your boss about how you feel is definitely a good way to go about that, or even an HR representative.”
She discloses that most women including herself are constantly working to prove themselves as women, but the gender issues are often ignored due to the limited number of women in the industry.
“The gender issues are kinda swept under the rug. There’s not very many women to voice an issue. I think it’s there, everybody knows about it but nobody does anything or says anything about it. It’s very much hush-hush.”
Watson encourages all women to speak up as there is such a limited number of women in the industry. With more persistent voices, will come more awareness.
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