For all of history, women have worked, both in and outside the home. However, most people would note that in many fields, the idea of women being a part of the workforce has only been around for a few decades. Nonetheless, there are many fields where men continue to dominate. Here are 5 careers where women are underrepresented:
- Software Engineers – Women make up only 19% of software developers – a statistic which is reflective of larger inequalities in tech. Essentially, a software engineer is responsible for creating computer programs, usually through coding language.
- Financial Analysts – Only 39.9% of financial analysts are female, which is indicative that women are still an untapped talent in the finance world. A financial analyst helps companies or individuals make business decisions using economic data and predictions.
- Television, video, and motion picture camera operators – Women comprise only 21.4% of camera operators. A camera operator, or cinematographer, is essentially the person in charge of recording a film, production, or other live action piece. It is a job which requires technical ability as well as a demonstrated artistic background.
- Airplane Pilot – Around just 16.4% of airline pilots are women. While women comprise the majority of flight attendants – they are just a slim minority of pilots and flight engineers. One major issue facing the airline industry is a lack of accommodations or benefits for pregnant employees or working mothers.
- Firefighters – 3.3% of firefighters are women. According to the Harvard Business Review, many female firefighters have said that they face skepticism from colleagues and superiors as to whether or not they can handle the physical aspects of the job. However, a majority of calls made to stations involve medical emergencies, not fires.
In order to combat these obvious discrepancies, our communities should focus on exposing young women to different fields of work and eliminating bias in educational and work spaces.
