Most Challenging Male-Dominated Fields for Women
Some of the most industries and jobs that are dominated by men and are hard for women to thrive in include;
- Research -Traditionally a male job
- Science – Highly competitive s there are significantly more men than women
- Law- One of the most male-dominated fields
- Technology and Computer Science- The most popular field for men and there are only a few women here.
- Construction – There are significantly more men than women in construction
- Banking – Moderately competitive for women
- Plant Mechanic- You are likely to come across all-male teams in this job
- Medicine- Moderately competitive for women and it is very hard for them to thrive
- Electrical and Mechanical engineering
- Waste Management –
- Automotive Manufacturing -Few Women
- Transportation and Warehousing
- Mining and Quarrying
Read: Best Careers and Job Types for Moms
Can Women Thrive/Succeed in Male-Dominated Field
Many young moms who are new in fields that are traditionally reserved for men feel that it is too hard and many give up. However it is still possible and doable.
A working mom can succeed and excel in fields and careers that are mostly reserved for men as long as they are willing to adapt the necessary survival skills.
While these are difficult fields for women, it does not mean that women should avoid them. There are no jobs that women should avoid because they are popular for and dominated by men. You can thrive in any job as a woman as long as you are skilled and competent at what you do.
Challenges for Women Working In Male Dominated Fields
Working in all male team may be hard for you as a woman because of various reasons. Being a woman may make you more vulnerable, abused and unappreciated by the men you are working with, creating a lot of challenges for women who chose to work in male dominated jobs. Some of the issues that women who work in jobs that are known and popular for men include
1. Not Fitting in the Work Culture
One of the key issues that women worry about is that they may not fit in when they are working with male colleagues and bosses. Because of the gender variance, a woman will find it hard to fit into a team that is made up mostly by men.
Men think and work differently from women. Therefore women will find it difficult getting along with men on a multitude of issues. Yet as a woman working with men, you must fit in to thrive.
2. Negative Stereotyping
Male-dominated industries and occupations are likely to encourage harmful stereotypes and creating unfavorable environments that make it even more difficult for women to excel.
Women are labeled as incompetent or unable to handle certain tasks because they are women. Some men may try speaking to you in a paternalistic tone, interrupt you or marginalize issues.
3. Sexual Harassment
Women who are also working with men are highly vulnerable and likely to be abused and harassed sexually by men. Men are likely to feel powerful and want to control or sexually harass the only woman in the team because of the imbalance and control.
4. Chauvinism
Men when working with women can exert an unhealthy control and invalidation of the woman’s abilities. Because of societal expectations and beliefs questioning women’s leadership and managerial abilities, most women have a hard time proving their abilities and skills compared to the men.
As a result women bosses are in subordinated by their male Juniors. Also the women are not mostly considered for promotion, are paid less than the men for similar men and their abilities constantly questioned.
5. Feelings of “Imposter Syndrome’
Because of constant criticism coming from the all male team, women may doubt their worth and capabilities. They suffer high levels of stress, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and self-handicapping behaviors.
6. Lack of mentoring and career development opportunities
Because there are few women in male dominated career, they lack other women to guide and mentor them. There are few or no women in top leadership to guide them on how to survive and thrive in these jobs. As a result these women feel stalled career wise as there are no personal development opportunities.
Expert Tips on Surviving & Thriving in Male-Dominated Office
1. Grow your Confidence & Competence
Confidence is very important working in a competitive environment such as an all-male team. You need to come across as sure, confident, and competent in your work. The confidence will earn you respect and less disrespect from the men.
Some of the ways you can show confidence as a woman when working with men include;
- Don’t be afraid of speaking up. Speaking your mind but in a respectful way makes you seem confident. So many working women are very quiet for fear of rocking the boat, but you need to stop this in order to thrive in your career.
- Learn to present your work in a certain way. Don’t hedge or apologize upfront. Just do your best work and then pretend you’ve grown up with male privilege and people assume you’re competent. By doing so you will manage to succeed and thrive in an all-male work environment in a professional way.
- Realize that the job doesn’t know the gender of who is doing it, and there will come a time when you’re the one who can answer questions and fix problems that other people can’t. When that happens, you will be recognized.
- Dominate conversations that involve your subject area. Always speak up in meetings, even if it is to ask a question.
Read: How to Celebrate International Women’s Day in the Office
2. Call out Female Discrimination and Micro-Aggression
Do not let disrespect and discrimination against you by the men go unaddressed. Continuing to allow men to disregard and respect you in your work because you are a woman is unacceptable.
Speaking up shows a great level of self-confidence in yourself and your abilities, and showing a level of optimism about your work environment. It will help you flourish in your career despite the negative environment.
You must be aware of these microaggressions and be ready to call them out and stand against them. Doing so will create a healthy work environment for you and you will succeed working with all men.
Read: How to Handle Sexual Harassment at Work
3. Speak & Stand Out More
Moms who work in male-dominated fields say they did not feel heard or seen. As such if you want to thrive, you must speak out and stand out more than the males.The presence of all males can be overwhelming, and that is why you need you will need to be more outstanding.
If you are in a team of all males, you can do this by contributing more to meetings by;
- Make an effort to be seen and heard more by making more contributions
- Giving input on pressing matters
- Making suggestions for addressing company challenges etc
4. Aim for a Leadership Role
One of the ways you can succeed working in a male company or field is by being a leader. As a leader of a male team, you will have more advantage and exposure in being seen and acknowledged. Holding any leadership or managerial role will give you a chance to showcase your passion and abilities to the influencers in the field.
Some of the things you can do to get a leadership role as a woman to lead men are;
- Sitting at the head of the conference table
- Be assertive
- Prepare before big meetings
- Say something profound and positive early in the meeting.
When you do all this, you will fit in well and thrive.
5. Prove your Credibility
When working in a male-dominated field, you will often feel like you are not being taken seriously as compared to your peers. You will need to come across as professional and not manipulative or take advantage of the gender gap that exists.
As such you must prove your credibility by being professional. You should be effective and efficient in how you handle your job. You must be productive and your performance must illustrate that you are a valuable employee or member of a team.
By doing so, your worth is a show of credibility and not just granted because you are a woman. Some tips to prove your credibility include;
- Accept criticism with grace; try to better yourself from it.
- Acknowledge a mistake. People will respect you and believe you the next time since you are proven to be honest.
- Avoid the drama and just do your work exceptionally well.
- You do not need to be extra competitive with the men.
6. Use Strategic Confrontation to Correct Men
If you are having discrimination issues from men at your workplace because you are a woman, you need to be strategic about how you confront it. Most of the men will be simply difficult to handle and work with and hence you need to move with tact.
- Learn how to appropriately respond to the stereotypes while maintaining a good perception and likeability among your peers, which is crucial to success in a male-dominated career.
- Call out the men you feel are being disrespectful or discriminative of you as a woman. The docile woman act doesn’t work. Use facts and ask the men to explain their actions that are discriminative of you.
- Take initiative and do things without being asked to. If the men gain respect for you for being smart, a self-starter, and a good employee, they will not be talking down to you regardless of your gender.
- Be healthy and respectful when addressing your colleagues. Two wrongs don’t make a wright and its important to chart the way for having healthy working relationships with your make colleagues.
7. Rally for Policy Changes to Support Women
There are unlikely to be any changes at the workplace without policies. If you are working in a male-dominated field with few women, then you are unlikely to have policies that address gender discrimination.
Therefore you need to advocate for policies or changes that address these challenges, directing how male peers will treat you as a woman. You may find that discriminating against or mistreating women is seen as normal.
Hence get rid of your need to be liked altogether if you want to be successful in an all-male job and replace it with a need to be fair.
8. Make Male Allies/Friends in the Office
As a woman, you will need allies or friends to manage working in a male-dominated field. You will need people who understand and are capable of standing up for you. These are people who are ready to defend you in your absence. They will tell off other men who are trying to be disrespectful and discriminative.
One of the ways you can avoid the disrespect and discrimination that comes to women who work in male-dominated areas is by having influential allies and friends. If you are friends with a few influential men, other men will treat you most respectfully.
9. Have a Support System
You also need a social support system to help you navigate the dynamics of working in an all-male team. Talk with sympathetic people about issues you are having. Whenever you can, talk to your partner or close friends about these challenges that you are facing at work.
Also, find a supportive group of women in your field. It helps your career to have friends who are women in male-dominated fields. They don’t have to be in your field to be able to completely relate to the kinds of things you experience at work.
You can also join groups or communities online. By doing so you will gain a good perspective about how you will address them.
10. Find a Mentor to Help Grow your Career
A mentor is very important for your career whether you are in a field that is gender-balanced or male-dominated. But having a good mentor as a woman working in a male-dominated field is very important. They will help you not lose track and focus on your career plan and goals.
Your mentor will guide and help you navigate all the challenges that women faced against men in the workplace. They will help you pick which battles to drop and which battles to drop.
11. Correct Discriminative Female Work Stereotypes
Most all-male work environments are full of stereotypes and involves working and dealing with difficult men. In order to thrive as a woman in this work environment, you need to set the record straight by standing up and correcting the discriminative stereotypes.
Use facts and logic to correct any misleading stereotype that may make it hard for you to thrive in an all-male workplace. Some stereotypes include that women are always moody, less intelligent, etc.
Doing so will protect women who may be disrespected and discriminated against by them. When these stereotypes are addressed, you will have better chances of surviving and thriving in an all-male work environment.
12. Learn Good Communication Skills
To succeed in an all-male work environment learning effective communication skills is very important to handle difficult male colleagues. Nothing beats good communication skills and the ability to communicate with your peers.
When you are feeling that you are being disrespected and discriminated against because you are a woman you need to have the right words and ways to communicate this to your peers or your seniors.
- Your communication must be respectful for you to earn respect back. Your communication must be kind and emphatic to earn empathy back from your male peers.
- Also while working and communicating with all men, do not get emotional. Your tone is very important. Be pleasant, professional, direct, fair, and firm. Do not engage in passive-aggressive issues. Do not call summit meetings over petty indifferences.
- When engaging in conversation, keep it to a minimum and professional. Make sure you have all the information before approaching anyone. Have all facts and information before you speak to the male coworkers so they don’t have a reason to be disrespectful or dismissive of you.
- If interrupted, simply repeat yourself once they are finished. If needed, restate your point more than once. Do this as many times as necessary. Acknowledge the point made politely but then continue what you were talking about before.
- Also, be respectful of the men as well. Listen to them when they talk and take notes. Do NOT interrupt during meetings, but if you have something to say wait for an opening and say it concisely. All this will help overcome the overwhelming boys club and thrive in your career.
- If you have an issue with someone, immediately address it one on one, calmly. Rehearse ahead of time and prepare your answer to the worst-case response. Regardless of the outcome, thank them for their time and move on.
- You must move on and let it go. Do not dwell on issues you can’t solve. Follow up pleasantly with kindness on a different subject within 24 hours to show that you have moved on and to smooth out the relationship.
All these things will help them have an easy time and succeed working in jobs traditionally reserved for men.
13. Draw Firm Boundaries
When working in an all-male environment there will be many times and ways that the men will test you and see how far you can stretch. It can be through words, actions, or other things that are communicating sexism, or disrespect among others.
To thrive here you need firm work boundaries. Lay down your boundaries early and let everyone know their behavior towards you will not be accepted. Don’t blush and fake laugh. They are testing you. Draw the line early.
Surviving a male-dominated industry is about standing your ground. Don’t be afraid to call the men out if and when they cross the line. It’s a fine line between being abrasive and being rude.
