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Do you work in an industry dominated by men, women, or pretty evenly split? Do you like it?”

Asked by The Work It, Mom! Team on 26th November 2007

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Comments so Far...

I am in construction, so I am in total man-land. I TOTALLY know what you mean about lunch - more than one lunch with the same person, and I feel like I need a second person there. So weird. I've never heard anyone say that out loud before, though. Its just another one of those million tiny things we have to think about as women in a male-dominated industry. I used to totally be in to the whole fantasy sports leagues and poker nights, but now, with a baby, it's just not worth the time away from him.

Flag as inappropriate Posted by Mom at Work on 29th November 2007
Manufacturing....definitely dominated by men.

Flag as inappropriate Posted by smileyptc on 29th November 2007
Man land.
The IT world is getting more women but still heavily man-dominated.

Flag as inappropriate Posted by The Tattooed Mommie on 29th November 2007
Childcare. Dominated by women, by a million miles. I like the work; I don't like the lack of prestige. (*Anyone* can do it, they just have to be patient enough, you see...) [Picture my tongue planted firmly in my cheek. Or more likely stuck right out. Nyah.)

Flag as inappropriate Posted by MaryP on 29th November 2007
I'm a librarian, so the rank and file tends to be female -- if you are male you generally are promoted fairly quickly into management. Completely unfair.

Flag as inappropriate Posted by Samantha on 29th November 2007
Totally dominated by men.

Flag as inappropriate Posted by Jan on 29th November 2007
I'm in accounting, which has been moving in a more female direction during the 20 years I've spent in it. I don't really get the sense it's dominated by one gender or the other - I think it depends on the particular sector one works in. However, the "stereotypical" accountant is still a whiny little guy with glasses and a calculator, and I don't mind that - if it's going to be dorky, better if it's NOT a woman! :-)

Flag as inappropriate Posted by Florinda on 29th November 2007
As a city planner, I was surprised to find a lot of women in the field. In fact I worked mostly with women during the 8 years I was a planner. I did like it but found that having women bosses was almost more difficult as a working mom because of the 'if I did it so can you' attitude that I often got. For the past year I've been working in GIS which has put me into the IT department here, obviously mostly male dominated. I've found that the office environment differs quite a bit and don't feel as close to my co-workers, but in general I don't mind too much.

Flag as inappropriate Posted by Deb - Mom of 3 Girls on 28th November 2007
I am an architect and most everyone I work with is male. If I'm designing a home I usually work with a woman, but most of my time is spent with men. I don't mind at all. I usually get along better with men anyway. There are very few women architects. It's hard to get thru the process of becoming licensed when you have small children. I'm one of the few that is young (32) and has 3 small kids. Most women architects are childless or older. I'm a rarity and I like it that way. I've got insights into designing a house that most male architects don't have and it gives me a leg up sometimes. I definitely not what most people think an architect should be. I'm breaking the mold and it feels good.

Flag as inappropriate Posted by joymle on 27th November 2007
The hospital construction side of what I do is driven by men. As for the hospital supply side it is both men and women. I enjoy both sides of the fence. I have worked very hard to and have taken many classes to keep up on the construction side of the business. The worst thing to do is to sell something that you have no clue as to how it works. I even have taken plumbing installers course to see just how it works. It helps me when looking a blue prints and trying to sell the items.

Flag as inappropriate Posted by Kim Begnaud on 27th November 2007
I'm in man-land as a design engineer. It's probably stranger for them than it is for me because I barely notice after being one of three women in my college class and working with men for my entire career. I'm also mom to two boys, married, and our dog is male. I like being with the boys for a work environment, but I've had some strange experiences, like a co-worker who was older and European saying, "You are like a beautiful flower. It makes my day better just to see you." I would imagine I would not hear this crap if there were more women in the office. (Similar things happened with different people over the years). People might ask me to lunch more too. As a woman, it seems to be okay to go out to lunch with 2 or more men, but not with just one. I also don't participate in the sports teams or poker nights that seem to be good networking opportunities for the men. Some women do, the "guy's girl" types, but as the mother-type, it's not something that's been a priority in my schedule.

Flag as inappropriate Posted by Alison on 27th November 2007
Since I am a teacher, my field is dominated by women. We have a few men, including my principal, but it would be nice if there were more. Our students need to see more men around as role models. I work better with men, because things get much less emotional.

Flag as inappropriate Posted by alanaransley on 26th November 2007