# what are the fields where women dominate? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 3, 2004, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-fields-where-women-dominate/243326 "2004-05-03T19:40:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-fields-where-women-dominate/243326/1 "2004-05-03T19:40:20Z")
what with the chess and bowling thread recently, i’m wondering if there is any physical/mental/whatever competition/games/accomplishments out there where the top players are dominated by women? also, does being number one mean anything other than having more time to devote to that particular endeavour than everyone else? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-fields-where-women-dominate/243326/2 "2004-05-03T20:03:25Z")
Motherhood. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-fields-where-women-dominate/243326/3 "2004-05-03T20:17:47Z")
Gymnastics? Ice Skating? Underwater Basket Weaving? (just kidding) ---
**Author:** ![SandyHook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dec6dc/32.png) [@SandyHook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandyHook)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-fields-where-women-dominate/243326/4 "2004-05-03T20:21:54Z")
Here in Nevada anyway legal prostitution is pretty much, far as I’m aware\*, 100% women. \*Not that I’m all that up on the subject ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-fields-where-women-dominate/243326/5 "2004-05-03T20:39:53Z")
I can’t find a cite to back this up but I once read that the top female billiards players could probalby beat the top male players. Part of the dominance of men in sports/games surely comes from physical characteristics. I’m sure another part is mental. Women (in general) don’t seem to have the same obsessiveness required to reach to do things over and over until they are unbeatable. They play and can become very good, but I think most women are more balanced. Take video games, for example, I know far fewer women who will spend all day just trying to get to the next level. But guys will spend hours… ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-fields-where-women-dominate/243326/6 "2004-05-03T20:51:28Z")
Female target shooters are as deadly as they come and can shoot as well or better than any male counterpart. ---
**Author:** ![ZaLucky1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/4af34b/32.png) [@ZaLucky1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZaLucky1)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-fields-where-women-dominate/243326/7 "2004-05-03T21:58:07Z")
Females are best at patience (ie teachers) and looking deep within. Where I would like to also list listening, I am reminded of the constant gabbing and gossiping. ☹ Females are good at asking for directions 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-fields-where-women-dominate/243326/8 "2004-05-03T21:58:18Z")
> [@](#): > > Take video games, for example, I know far fewer women who will spend all day just trying to get to the next level. But guys will spend hours… I’ve spent days. Equestrian sports (dressage, cross country, show jumping) are sports where the men and women compete on equal terms. Even in the Olympics they compete against each other. To me it seems that there are a greater number of women participating, but I have no actual numbers. ---
**Author:** ![mmmiiikkkeee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/edb3f5/32.png) [@mmmiiikkkeee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mmmiiikkkeee)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-fields-where-women-dominate/243326/9 "2004-05-03T22:22:20Z")
Women at far more accomplished at influencing men than other men are. How many beer and deodorant commercials catering to men _don’t_ feature one or more hot babes as pretty much THE selling point? Ever had a male friend convince you to spend a small fortune entertaining him on the town? I’d go with advertising… but if you’re looking for a physical _activity_… uhmm… dunno ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Prize](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d2c977/32.png) [@Sir\_Prize](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Prize)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-fields-where-women-dominate/243326/10 "2004-05-03T22:41:45Z")
Women can beat men at ultramarathons (100 miles) ---
**Author:** ![sinjin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@sinjin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sinjin)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-fields-where-women-dominate/243326/11 "2004-05-03T23:23:19Z")
Distance swimming, IE the english channel. And my own favorite multiple orgasms!!! ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-fields-where-women-dominate/243326/12 "2004-05-03T23:34:43Z")
As far as I have read and heard, women are superior to men in work that requires patience and concentration. They are also better at perceiving and working with small visual details. Hence, they are favored as laborers in certain industries: semiconductors, sewing, etc. It also seems to be generally recognized that women are better at caring and nurturing. This is then based on their superior ability to recognize emotional and psychological states. Women may be superior to men in many areas, but men get very aggressive in pursuing careers in industries/professions that are perceived as prestigious and/or money-making. For example, I read that in the former Soviet Union, most of the doctors were women. It was not perceived as a prestigious occupation there. ---
**Author:** ![ltfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2004, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-fields-where-women-dominate/243326/13 "2004-05-04T00:02:22Z")
A man can’t be a bitch. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2004, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-fields-where-women-dominate/243326/14 "2004-05-04T00:12:18Z")
Gosh, it seems like there’s an awful lot of speculation and unverified statements in this GQ question. Lets do some legwork: Target Shooting: > [@Chefguy](#): > > Female target shooters are as deadly as they come and can shoot as well or better than any male counterpart. Not according to the [World Records](http://www.usashooting.com/alumni/worldrecords.html) Side-by-side comparisons (at random): **World record for Trap Shooting (125 birds)** Man - 125 Pellielo, G Italy Woman - 121 Strodtman, F. USA **World record for Air Rifle - 10m 40 shots standing:** Man - 699.1 Saeynevirta, T. Finland Woman - 504.0 Letcheva, V. Bulgaria So seems like men are better at that. (Although granted I don’t know if those are what you count as target shooting - I have no understanding of the sport). Distance Swimming: > [@PictsiePat](#): > > Distance swimming, ie the english channel. Except, not according to this [site.](http://www.angelfire.com/electronic/ultramentor/records_aqua.html) To quote from there: > [@](#): > > Martin Strel - 47-year old Slovenian **man** in 2002 swam the length of the Mississippi river in a single attempt, improving his own world distance swimming record made on the Danube River two years ago. He took 68 days to swim the 2,360 miles from northern Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana, swimming an average of 11 to 12 hours each day. Strel is also registered in the Guinness Book of Records as the first person to swim the entire length of the Danube River, covering 1,878 miles in 58 days in 2000. In addition, he was also the first man on record to swim from Africa to Europe across the Strait of Gibraltar in 1997. He also broke the world record for non-stop swimming when he covered 313 miles of the Danube in just 84 hours in 2001. Bolding mine. The other things that have been brought up like Gymnastics or Ice Skating are too subjective and unverifiable (especially since they are based on judges). Also in Gymnastics, men/women do different formats. A girl may be much more graceful - but throw her on the rings and see how she holds up. In Ice Skating the men do harder tricks (quadruple lutzes and the like). But I would wager that the women are much more graceful. (And I believe they are indeed, judged on their gracefulness). So how about some concrete, verifiable examples? - Peter Wiggen ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2004, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-fields-where-women-dominate/243326/15 "2004-05-04T00:25:06Z")
Wet nurse. ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2004, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-fields-where-women-dominate/243326/16 "2004-05-04T00:39:02Z")
Sled dog racing. Again, ultramarathons. ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2004, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-fields-where-women-dominate/243326/17 "2004-05-04T00:52:01Z")
Here’s a cite for the sled dog racing [http://library.thinkquest.org/11313/Iditarod/](http://library.thinkquest.org/11313/Iditarod/) ---
**Author:** ![sinjin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@sinjin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sinjin)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2004, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-fields-where-women-dominate/243326/18 "2004-05-04T02:44:40Z")
> [@PeterWiggen](#): > > Distance Swimming: > > Except, not according to this [site.](http://www.angelfire.com/electronic/ultramentor/records_aqua.html) > > - Peter Wiggen Swimming down stream in a river is not the same as swimming across the english channel. I will give you however that a man has gone across the EC in 7 hrs 17 minutes while the best women’s time is 7 hrs 40 mins by your site. Pretty close. Mr. Pict will verify my second assertion. chill :wally ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2004, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-fields-where-women-dominate/243326/19 "2004-05-04T02:50:46Z")
Kvetching. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2004, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-fields-where-women-dominate/243326/20 "2004-05-04T02:51:10Z")
I think pornography is one of the only fields where women are paid much, much more than men. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-fields-where-women-dominate/243326.md?page=2)