# Jobs reserved for women **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 7, 2010, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-reserved-for-women/545825 "2010-07-07T07:18:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-reserved-for-women/545825/1 "2010-07-07T07:18:53Z")
The position of [Treasurer of the United States](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasurer_of_the_United_States%22l) (not to be confused with the Secretary of the Treasury) traditionally goes to a woman. Or at least it has for the past 60 years. I’m wondering if there’s any similar position elsewhere that is traditionally given to a woman. Note that I don’t mean a position like the King’s Consort[sup]1[/sup] or Queen’s chambermaid or something like that. [sup]1[/sup] Although it’s only a matter of time before a King’s Consort somewhere in the world is not female. If that hasn’t already happened. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-reserved-for-women/545825/2 "2010-07-07T15:23:32Z")
First Lady of the United States? ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-reserved-for-women/545825/3 "2010-07-07T15:45:29Z")
> [@Keeve](#): > > First Lady of the United States? Well, you could have a first dude instead. I believe the waiting staff at Hooters is entirely female. ---
**Author:** ![vislor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vislor/32/5933_2.png) [@vislor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vislor)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-reserved-for-women/545825/4 "2010-07-07T18:50:21Z")
> [@Darth\_Panda](#): > > Well, you could have a first dude instead. > > I believe the waiting staff at Hooters is entirely female. Yes, but Hooters has been sued over it. [http://www.avvo.com/news/man-sues-hooters-over-gender-discrimination-121.html](http://www.avvo.com/news/man-sues-hooters-over-gender-discrimination-121.html) The paragraph at the end is the most important. Back in the 90s, several men successfully sued Hooters when they were not hired as waiters. I just happened to remember reading about that back then. Queen? Princess? Surrogate? I’d like to think this is hard to do today and that women are in every job a man is but I don’t know. vislor ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-reserved-for-women/545825/5 "2010-07-07T18:53:06Z")
Midwife? Doula? I suppose a man could do one of those jobs, but you really don’t see it happening. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-reserved-for-women/545825/6 "2010-07-07T18:55:59Z")
> [@vislor](#): > > Yes, but Hooters has been sued over it. [http://www.avvo.com/news/man-sues-hooters-over-gender-discrimination-121.html](http://www.avvo.com/news/man-sues-hooters-over-gender-discrimination-121.html) > > The paragraph at the end is the most important. Back in the 90s, several men successfully sued Hooters when they were not hired as waiters. I just happened to remember reading about that back then. > vislor Actually: > [@](#): > > The settlement allows Hooters to continue luring customers with a female staff of Hooters Girls. But the chain also agreed to create a few other support jobs, like bartenders and hosts, that must be filled without regard to sex. [http://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/01/us/hooters-settles-suit-by-men-denied-jobs.html](http://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/01/us/hooters-settles-suit-by-men-denied-jobs.html) No man has actually been succesful in suing to be allowed to become a Hooters Girl, that I am aware of. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-reserved-for-women/545825/7 "2010-07-07T18:56:52Z")
Elementary school principals? ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-reserved-for-women/545825/8 "2010-07-07T18:58:13Z")
One presumes that most of the jobs associated with female religious orders are staffed exclusively by females, Mother Superior of various Catholic abbeys, for example ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-reserved-for-women/545825/9 "2010-07-07T19:07:01Z")
Surrogate mother and egg donor. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-reserved-for-women/545825/10 "2010-07-07T19:30:46Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > Elementary school principals? My elementary school teacher was a man and most of the other ones I knew of growing up were too. I am 37. My daughter’s principal is a female though so maybe things have changed. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-reserved-for-women/545825/11 "2010-07-07T20:17:17Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > My elementary school teacher was a man and most of the other ones I knew of growing up were too. I am 37. My daughter’s principal is a female though so maybe things have changed. As was my elementary (+middle & high school) principals. I’m 25, but my father (who’s 62) had a female principal back in the '50s so it wasn’t completely unheard of for a woman be one. PE teachers might be required to be of the same sex as their students since part of their job involves supervising their students in their lockerrooms. ---
**Author:** ![palindromemordnilap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/db5fbb/32.png) [@palindromemordnilap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/palindromemordnilap)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-reserved-for-women/545825/12 "2010-07-07T20:33:20Z")
Trying to come up with jobs exclusively performed by women, I can think of nun. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-reserved-for-women/545825/13 "2010-07-07T20:38:23Z")
Lingerie model. ---
**Author:** ![Bartman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@Bartman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bartman)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-reserved-for-women/545825/14 "2010-07-07T23:52:35Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > Elementary school principals? Nope. My children’s current principal is male, as was his predecessor. ---
**Author:** ![Shawn1767](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shawn1767](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shawn1767)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2010, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-reserved-for-women/545825/15 "2010-07-08T00:24:47Z")
I am an elementary school teacher (male) who has worked for both male and female principals. Also, one of my principals when I was in elementary school was male. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2010, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-reserved-for-women/545825/16 "2010-07-08T00:43:29Z")
Women’s toilet attendants and cleaners Those people who empty the “sanitary bins” in women’s toilets ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Skinley\_Von\_Clipper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@Baron\_Skinley\_Von\_Clipper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Skinley_Von_Clipper)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2010, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-reserved-for-women/545825/17 "2010-07-08T01:04:25Z")
Lesbian porn actress? or any other type of actress, hostess etc. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2010, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-reserved-for-women/545825/18 "2010-07-08T01:07:36Z")
> [@Askance](#): > > Women’s toilet attendants and cleaners > > Those people who empty the “sanitary bins” in women’s toilets I think you’ll find that janitorial staff are often male. All you have to do is knock first, then make sure nobody else comes in. Men’s bathrooms are bad, but women aren’t much better. It is amazing some of the disgusting and stupid (flushed…) stuff you will see done with sanitary products. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2010, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-reserved-for-women/545825/19 "2010-07-08T01:07:54Z")
> [@Askance](#): > > Women’s toilet attendants and cleaners > > Those people who empty the “sanitary bins” in women’s toilets I used to clean an office building when I was a teenager. I also worked in restaurants and would often clean the bathrooms - both kinds. I am male. A knock on the door solves this problem. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2010, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-reserved-for-women/545825/20 "2010-07-08T01:44:35Z")
Re: the toilet attendant. For the type of toilet attendant that sits there dispensing perfume and soap, in some bars (or dispensing pretty much everything in some parts of Eastern Europe) the attendant has to be a woman. Midwives are sometimes men, though it is rare. But that’s for a British definition of midwife, which is a qualified specialist nurse, not comparable to a doula. Similar to the OP, the President of Ireland always seems to be a woman, at least the past few have been, but that’s because it’s harder to find a man called Mary. ‘Minister for Women’ would be an odd job to give to a man. Those people who come round schools and give talks on ‘growing up,’ usually separating the girls from the boys? The girls’ teacher would be much better given to a woman - hard enough to teach pre-teen and teen girls about menstruation and sanitary products if the person doing it is a man. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-reserved-for-women/545825.md?page=2)