The presence of males in occupations with a female predominance is still relatively low in comparison to the rising participation of women in occupations with a male predominance. Little is known about the occupational trajectories of males who forge a new path and enter female-dominated occupations. And let’s just face it, corporate life can be as toxic as you can imagine. Women do face issues in male-dominated professions, but at least we have started to address the issue there. Whereas if I talk about men in female-dominated professions, the issues they might face are often laughed at or simply ignored.
People find it difficult to accept that there are sectors that are “female-dominated” because men have always been seen as those who can dominate others. Secondly, even if they get over this fact, a man facing issues just because the industry is female-dominated is a statement that a lot of you might not find worth having a discussion over.
However, workplace toxicity is not gender-biased; it can be toxic and unfair to anyone. However, there is little information available about the challenges men face in industries where women predominate.
Men as elementary school teachers
Due to the obstacles they encounter due to their gender, men frequently quit teaching. The major difficulties faced by male primary school instructors are:
Uneasiness of making personal contact with students;
A heavier burden as a result of the demand to assume masculine duties; and
Social isolation is brought on by a lack of success in forging strong working relationships with coworkers.
Male elementary teachers may be better prepared to deal with these difficulties and, as a result, stay in the field if they have more effective coping mechanisms.
Men as dancers
Because of the difficulties, many guys give up on their dance training. Being a young boy in dance is far from easy, from dealing with bullying and homophobic remarks to feeling pressured to project as stereotypically masculine.
Sadly, many boys taking dance classes are not exposed to male professors or peers, and many struggle to find suitable mentors to help them navigate the opportunities and challenges of their training and early careers. Many young guys find themselves lost in female-dominated classrooms without access to these vital support systems; it can be intimidating to be the only boy in a class full of girls.
Men as nurses
Male nurses undoubtedly experience some discrimination and intolerance. Male nurses continue to suffer this bias, regardless of their degree of education or experience. This is typically a problem because male nurses observe a disparity between female and male nurses, which means they see fewer nurses who are similar to them. For men, this makes for a difficult setting that frequently results in pressure and role strain.
Men are occasionally unasked for in the hospital birthing area, though this isn’t always the case. Sometimes patients just prefer a female or male doctor due to cultural, religious, or privacy concerns.
Men as flight attendants
It’s common to believe that attitudes toward gender equality have advanced significantly. However, there is still more work to be done in the aviation sector in several ways. It’s still largely accepted that women are better suited than men to work as flight attendants. Such incorrect knowledge frequently results from how cabin personnel have been portrayed in recent years.
Any workplace with a large gender imbalance can have disadvantages, and the role of cabin crew is no different. You may sometimes feel like you have to work harder to prove yourself in a female-dominated industry. And you may also find that you are treated differently by your colleagues, either because they see you as a threat or because they don’t take you seriously.
Similarly, this can extend to passengers too.
It is rare, but over the years I have heard countless passengers make disparaging remarks about my male colleagues. Ranging from stereotyping their sexuality to sexist comments about the job role, Also, many passengers make sexist comments regarding male flight attendants, which can be difficult to handle.
Dominance brings discrimination
We often talk about how women feel discriminated against in male-dominated career fields, but ignoring the other gender completely is not establishing equality but just shifting the weight of dominance. In female-dominated professions, men feel neglected, discriminated against, and gender shamed. It’s past time we accepted it and began making them feel at ease in carrying out whatever profession they choose.