Move Aside, Men: Why Women Should Dominate the Workplace

By Maddie

Although we gals have pushed, yelled and fought for our rights for decades, it’s an unfortunate fact that men dominate a number of professions in the U.S. (and often make more money than women doing the same things). Can we imagine a world where estrogen ruled, women weren’t subjected to workplace prejudices, and men were delegated to diaper duty (okay, we don’t have to go this far, but still…)??

Let’s take a look at some professions dominated by men and see how women could handle them…

Job: Floor Trader
Description: Member of a stock or commodities exchange who trades for their company amongst a sea of hysterical competitors.
Why women should dominate this profession: Many women I know admit to making a habit of picking fights with their boyfriends. There’s something about our argument style (sometimes fierce, sometimes whiny, sometimes teary, always clever, and oftentimes a mix of the four) that, when combined with batted eyelashes, ensures that we’re going to walk out of the room knowing that the score is Girl: 1, Boy: 0.

Thus, as we are accustomed to knowing how to get what we want, there would be no better place to control than the floor of a stock market. As innate multi-taskers (applying your mascara and sealing a deal on your cell phone all while navigating city traffic on your way to work? No problem!), we’d use our shrill voices and cat-like agility to make sure that the financial world kept running slowly. As Matthew Syed suggests in this article, men caused the credit crunch…

Job: Fashion photographer
Description: Capturing celebrities bathed in gowns of satin or rocking skinny minis for fashion magazines; snapping as models work the runway.
Why women should dominate this profession: As women, we understand what our fellow females find flattering. Have years of girlfriend shots (you know, “girls posing in front of the mirror in the bathroom,” “girls standing in a line to show off their outfits before they go out,” “girls taking selfies in the bar,” etc, etc) taught us nothing about using a camera? Unlike males who photograph female models, we actually wear skirts and bikinis and blouses and are familiar with the female body and the way the arms move, the hair bounces, and the hips swing. It’s a shame that women are so underrepresented in this category.

Job: Film/ Book Reviewer
Description: Capturing the essence of a movie or book in a short blurb or longer article; writing for a publication like the New York Times or an online movie review website.
Why women should dominate this profession: Why shouldn’t we? We watch movies and read books, don’t we? How many women do you know that get together with their friends for weekly or monthly “book clubs” or book discussion groups? (I know a lot.) A study led by the Fund for Women Artists shows that in 2003, only 28% of the New York Times Book Reviews – the most trusted source for reviews in the world – were written by women. Only 30% of movie reviews for national magazines were women. And on the subject of movies – of the people that contributed to the highest grossing films worldwide in 2007, only 13% were women. (Adding insult to injury? The same study shows that movies featuring female protagonists gross less at the box office, as well.)

Ladies, it’s time to start asserting ourselves. We are good at so many things and shouldn’t let male-dominated fields scare us off. Whether you want to be a fireman, a private detective, or a stadium designer (can someone PLEASE change the positions of the cup-holders so that we don’t keep kicking them over?!), the sky should be the limit. Get out there and show those dudes who’s boss.