Some occupations becoming
more gender-neutral
M
any occupations are dominated by either female workers or male workers. Most physical
therapists are women, for example, and most
engineers are men. But according to data from the U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Current Population Survey,
these differences have lessened in numerous occupations.
People often look beyond traditional gender roles in
choosing careers. In the charts below, each occupation
had more than 95 percent of workers of one sex in 1983,
and the share of workers of the opposite sex in each occupation increased in the years that followed. The charts
show changes in employment share between 1983 and
2002, the years for which comparable data are available.
Automobile body and related repairers had the greatest shift. At one time, almost all of these repairers were
men—yet between 1983 and 2002, the share of women
working in this occupation more than tripled. The upper chart shows the occupations in which women had
the most significant increases, but women boosted their
employment share in nearly all occupations. Similarly, as
the lower chart shows, men have had some notable gains
in occupations dominated by women.
A percent increase in employment share describes a
shift in the distribution of men and women in an occupation. But an increase in employment share does not
indicate the actual number of jobs held by workers of a
particular sex. For example, although men’s participation
in dressmaking increased dramatically between 1983 and
2002, relatively few male workers (11,000) were employed in the occupation in 2002.
Women’s
employment,
2002
Percent increase in women’s share of employment, 1983-2002
Automobile body and
related repairers
369%
Supervisors, police
and detectives
5,000
360
Millwrights
20,000
315
Civil engineers
3,000
29,000
186
Automobile mechanics
177
12,000
Firefighting occupations
174
8,000
Airplane pilots and navigators
Male-dominated
occupations in which
women increased their
share of employment,
1983-2002
167
5,000
Source: Current Population Survey
Female-dominated
occupations in which
0
50 100
men increased
their
share of employment,
1983-2002
Percent increase in men’s share of employment, 1983-2002
150
200
250
300 350
Dressmakers
400
277%
Licensed practical nurses
78
Registered nurses
48
Men’s
employment,
2002
71
11,000
19,000
164,000
Private household cleaners
and servants
44
31,000
Secretaries
42
31,000
Typists
39
35,000
Teachers, prekindergarten
and kindergarten
39
15,000
Source: Current Population Survey
Occupational Outlook Quarterly • Winter 2004-05