New roles, new jobs

The economic empowerment of woman across the rich world is one of the most incredible uprisings of the past 50 years. It is incredible because of the level of change it generated by revolutionising the time when women were dependent on men. But now, the role of a woman is enhanced with a positive outbreak on the economy as whole. It is incredible also because of the slightest friction it has caused which hardly affected the most intimate aspects of people's identities and has now been widely welcomed by men as well as women.

Women are taking new jobs, new roles with better opportunities. Some fields such as politics and finance hold an edge for men and are generally referred to as “men’s sector”, but that has not stopped the women of today. The false consciousness rulings for decades now have fallen by the wayside. And there is a little reason to believe that women’s decisions to leave the workplace are driven by exogenous factors.

In fact, some of the world’s most powerful women don’t exactly have traditional jobs.

The US Department of Labour defines the non-traditional job as positions where women make up less than 25 per cent of the workforce. In today’s time, non-traditional jobs for women can include everything from carpenter to chiropractor (a health care professional focused on the diagnosis and treatment of neuromuscular disorders), painter to pilot and electrician to engineer.

As societal stereotypes continue to break down, the term “non-traditional” job may become extinct. More women are becoming part of what was once considered unconventional fields for several reasons.

Money matters

With rising home, healthcare, and general living expenses, it has also become a necessity in the past 20 years for families to have twin incomes. More than half of working mothers say they work to support the family, and would stay home to raise the children if it was financially possible.

Furthermore, attitude toward what’s appropriate for a woman have steadily changed over time. Some may still hold onto the outdated concept of “a woman’s place is in the home,” but the fact is that two-thirds of all women aged 16 and above— are part of the labour force.

One motivation behind pursuing a non-traditional career is money. High entry-level wages paying for an hour have been more than an inspiration for women seeking solid careers. But the biggest gap in non-traditional jobs has been in the sectors such as politics and the law. There’s still a long way to go for women, who continue to dominate the low-paying support jobs in the food service industry such as retail sales and the clerical industry. What’s important to remember is that all women have a right to choose. The common myths – blue collar work is too messy, security work is too dangerous, the job isn’t feminine enough, or women don’t have the aptitude for certain skills – shouldn’t impede them from a particular career path. Also, today’s women are outpacing men educationally – they earn 57 per cent of bachelor’s degrees, 59 per cent of master’s degrees, and more than half of PhDs. They already compose nearly half the workforce, and they’re not simply participating in higher numbers – women are increasingly filling jobs that require more education and greater skills. It’s believed that for a woman, the family is the first priority and they want to spend time with them. And many jobs — especially top-level CEO positions — simply can’t adequately accommodate that balance.

So the question remains: Is gender parity really a reasonable goal? Is there anything to be done? Working fathers place more importance on having a high-paying job, while working mothers are more concerned with having a flexible schedule. Of course, there are women who see professional success as their primary goal. We should recognise that there are women whose equation for success looks very different. That means we should stop trying to achieve parity and instead recognise that the disparity between men and women may, in fact, be a good thing.

Retaining talent Most women and men are already benefiting from shifts in social norms, growing number of women in the workplace, changing technology and communication tools, and a relatively free economy – all of which provides workers with greater flexibility and choices in their lives. Today’s young women are starting their careers with better education than their male counterparts. So, many companies these days are trying to retain talented women and they are making more money. This is not due to the rising status of women, but also due to the falling earnings of men. Each new group of young women entering the workforce over the past 30 years has started at a higher average hourly wage relative to men.

The writer is the VP, Global HR and Talent Management, of Bristlecone, a Mahindra Group Company.

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