# Jobs that are gender-specific for no reason at all **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 11, 2012, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-that-are-gender-specific-for-no-reason-at-all/615491 "2012-03-11T21:25:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-that-are-gender-specific-for-no-reason-at-all/615491/41 "2012-03-12T15:08:52Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > around here Real Estate is about 95% women. Around here it’s mostly red clay. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-that-are-gender-specific-for-no-reason-at-all/615491/42 "2012-03-12T15:14:55Z")
I’ve read that “auctioneer” is the most monolithic occupation in the U.S. Over 99% are white men. > [@Hampshire](#): > > Daycare centers seem to be staffed completely by females. > Even schools seem to be female teachers below a certain grade level. I think my first male teacher was 4th grade. I have never met a male kindergarten teacher. I used to be a daycare teacher. I was one of two men, and on occasion, the only man. It only happened because before that, I was a glorified janitor as a high school student. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-that-are-gender-specific-for-no-reason-at-all/615491/43 "2012-03-12T15:33:34Z")
veterinary support staff—all female. Whenever I go to the vet with my cat, the only male is the vet himself, who owns the place. The reception clerk, the assistants , etc ,are all female. And when I went to the humane society to adopt my pet,all the staff I saw were female. I’ve heard of a few males there–who drive the truck (and did the euthanasias)–but everybody who has contact with the public is female. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-that-are-gender-specific-for-no-reason-at-all/615491/44 "2012-03-12T16:58:17Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > veterinary support staff—all female. Not all, I’ve worked with a handful of guys at vet clinics over the years. But mostly female, yeah. It’s part of that whole “nurturing profession” thing–the perception is that you snuggle the cute little puppies and kittens and bandage boo-boos, and the reality is that you scoop poop and bag dead bodies and mop up vomit and blood and the cute little animals frequently want to rip your face off, and the pay is pretty lousy, considering. ---
**Author:** ![GreenElf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@GreenElf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenElf)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-that-are-gender-specific-for-no-reason-at-all/615491/45 "2012-03-12T16:59:27Z")
Lingerie sales. Also Baskin Robbins and Dairy Queen have mainly female employees. Men can’t serve dairy products? And there’s that shopping mall restaurant with girls wearing funny multi-colored hats serving corn dogs. I haven’t seen a guy work there, maybe because none have wanted to. Most piano teachers at the beginning to intermediate level are female. Also, typists and tax preparers are mostly female. And I worked at a printed circuit board factory where the jobs were segregated by gender; the guys did the production and the girls were the quality inspectors. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-that-are-gender-specific-for-no-reason-at-all/615491/46 "2012-03-12T17:08:11Z")
> [@NinjaChick](#): > > Go into your local library and there’s a very good chance that all the librarians will be female. No idea why. Like a lot of the other ones referred to, there are reasons for this one, too. It’s a very support centered profession which meshes with traditionally accepted roles for women. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Lurker\_Above](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@The\_Lurker\_Above](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Lurker_Above)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-that-are-gender-specific-for-no-reason-at-all/615491/47 "2012-03-12T17:46:41Z")
> [@GreenElf](#): > > Most piano teachers at the beginning to intermediate level are female. Back when I was taking piano I went through both beginner and intermediate levels with male teachers. And the piano teacher at my highschool (we had a very good music program) was male. The only female piano teachers I knew were teaching the advanced students. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-that-are-gender-specific-for-no-reason-at-all/615491/48 "2012-03-12T17:58:10Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > Daycare centers seem to be staffed completely by females. > Even schools seem to be female teachers below a certain grade level. I think my first male teacher was 4th grade. I have never met a male kindergarten teacher. There’s a male kindergarten teacher at my daughter’s school. I will cop to it: it feels weird. Then I smack myself upside the cultural conditioning and get over it. Honestly, given that so many little kids don’t have strong male role models in front of them on a daily basis, I love the idea of male kindergarten teachers. We had nearly 25% guys in my nursing class. Enough so that every clinical group of ten students had at least one guy in it, and one of my clinicals was 50/50. Most of them are straight, which blew my family’s minds. Gives me hope, since generally when a career is female dominated and becomes male inclusive the pay goes up and the working conditions get better. I know there are some female truckers/loggers on the reality shows now…but are there any female ice fishers/crabbers/shrimpers? ---
**Author:** ![Terra1041](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Terra1041](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terra1041)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-that-are-gender-specific-for-no-reason-at-all/615491/49 "2012-03-12T17:59:34Z")
Computer programmers seem to be overwhelmingly male. ---
**Author:** ![Jasper\_Kent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9a28c/32.png) [@Jasper\_Kent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasper_Kent)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-that-are-gender-specific-for-no-reason-at-all/615491/50 "2012-03-12T18:03:36Z")
Animal Shelter: 80% female overall, but animal control officers are 60% male. The adoption staff is 100% female and always has been. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-that-are-gender-specific-for-no-reason-at-all/615491/51 "2012-03-12T19:41:33Z")
> [@NinjaChick](#): > > Go into your local library and there’s a very good chance that all the librarians will be female. No idea why. Me either, but it’s part of the reason I chose this profession. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-that-are-gender-specific-for-no-reason-at-all/615491/52 "2012-03-12T19:47:29Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > There’s a male kindergarten teacher at my daughter’s school. I will cop to it: it feels weird. Then I smack myself upside the cultural conditioning and get over it. I was thinking the same thing. Unfortunately many will wonder what is wrong with a guy that wants to work around small children. I happen to be fantastic with little kids (as they get older not so much). I think I would be suited for a job like that. Even if I do look for another job after I retire I probably wouldn’t go in that direction because of that. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Il\_Palazzo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Lord\_Il\_Palazzo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Il_Palazzo)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-that-are-gender-specific-for-no-reason-at-all/615491/53 "2012-03-12T19:58:19Z")
Engineering is a very male dominated field. When I graduated from Virginia Tech four years ago (has it really been that long?) there were only two women graduating in the same field I did (aerospace) and the numbers were similar in most of the other branches of engineering. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-that-are-gender-specific-for-no-reason-at-all/615491/54 "2012-03-12T21:22:10Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I was thinking the same thing. Unfortunately many will wonder what is wrong with a guy that wants to work around small children. I happen to be fantastic with little kids (as they get older not so much). I think I would be suited for a job like that. Even if I do look for another job after I retire I probably wouldn’t go in that direction because of that. Correct me if I’m misremembering, but aren’t you a police officer? Got to tell ya, buddy…a lot of people think there must be something wrong with a person who wants to be/is a successful cop! If it’s work you think you’d like and be good at, does it really matter what other people think? The parents of your students will judge you on your merits, and as long as you follow some good common sense guidelines that even female teachers follow these days (no closed doors with solo students, touch on the shoulders only, etc.)…those who matter don’t mind, and those who mind don’t matter, as they say. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-that-are-gender-specific-for-no-reason-at-all/615491/55 "2012-03-12T22:14:13Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > Was it the same during the booming phase? Yes real estate has been 95% women around here for 20 years. The few men agents tend to work with their wives or other relatives. ---
**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:** [March 12, 2012, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-that-are-gender-specific-for-no-reason-at-all/615491/56 "2012-03-12T22:17:27Z")
> [@GreenElf](#): > > Lingerie sales… Except in Saudi Arabia where ligerie stores have all male staffs. ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-that-are-gender-specific-for-no-reason-at-all/615491/57 "2012-03-12T22:25:49Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > There’s a male kindergarten teacher at my daughter’s school. Is he extremely muscular and speaks with a thick Austrian accent? ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-that-are-gender-specific-for-no-reason-at-all/615491/58 "2012-03-13T00:25:21Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Except in Saudi Arabia where ligerie stores have all male staffs. That has changed [http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/opinion/sunday/saudi-women-break-a-barrier-the-right-to-sell-lingerie.html](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/opinion/sunday/saudi-women-break-a-barrier-the-right-to-sell-lingerie.html) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-that-are-gender-specific-for-no-reason-at-all/615491/59 "2012-03-13T00:39:36Z")
Sports referees. No reason why a woman can’t referee a game but it’s incredibly rare. ---
**Author:** ![ecseas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ecseas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ecseas)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-that-are-gender-specific-for-no-reason-at-all/615491/60 "2012-03-13T02:17:16Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > Daycare centers seem to be staffed completely by females. > Even schools seem to be female teachers below a certain grade level. I think my first male teacher was 4th grade. I have never met a male kindergarten teacher. My course coordinator (For my bachelor of education specializing in primary + early childhood) is male. He was a preschool teacher. So they are out there, but yes, there isn’t a lot of them. The problem is early childhood educators are thought of being glorified babysitters. ( which they aren’t!) and people think there is something sick or wrong about a guy wanting to look after children. :\ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-that-are-gender-specific-for-no-reason-at-all/615491.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-that-are-gender-specific-for-no-reason-at-all/615491.md?page=4)