It’s a Man’s World

How many engineers do you know? If you are thinking of any, ask yourself this: How many of them are women? According to statistics, the answer to this question could possibly be none of them. Why is this? In a world of equal rights, there are still many careers that are male dominated. Engineering is one of them. We all know that it is not because men are smarter than women in general, so why, in this modern age, are there high-paying careers that women just do not pursue?

One reason could be that women are conditioned from early childhood to be feminine. Even though they might be encouraged to do well in school, and to pursue an education before marriage and kids, not many parents seem to be encouraging their daughters to pursue an education that will lead them into a male-dominated field. This seems to be changing, but it is changing very slowly.

Perhaps another reason is because it is still hard for a woman to be accepted into a man’s world. Women tend to be viewed differently. Either they are never accepted at all, or they are being coddled, which creates resentment among co-workers. Again this is not always the case, but this problem does exist. Women cannot always physically do what a man can do, yet by law they are usually paid the same. This can also cause resentment.

Many people think that sexism in the workplace no longer exists, but it is still there for many of the women who do what is considered a “man’s job”.  This problem needs attention. Females are equally and sometimes more capable of having successful careers in a male-dominated environment. What they need is the encouragement to do this, to go against the norms of society to pursue these careers. This encouragement needs to begin during childhood, when girls are expected to be “good” at English and boys are expected to be “good” at science. Sadly, these expectations all too often seem to create a reality.