Women Breaking Borders by Working in Male Dominated Fields

Are women capable of holding positions in male dominated fields?

Women have been primarily excluded for the longest part of history from fields. Most fields than not, carry the stigma that they are most beneficial or align with male genders, as opposed to female genders. Majors such as engineering, and finance have mostly been dominated by the male gender for views that scientific classes are harsher, and masculine as opposed to the arts which hold a more feminine, delicate touch. Gender bias plays a high key in both explicit and subtle forms. Whether it be the major gap between pay, or the increasing number of harassments in gender neutral offices, it is obviously seen that females have been subjected to some form of negativity within specific fields.  

 The stereotype driven expectation can be broken yet demands extreme patience and mobility. It is mostly important for employers to ensure a safe environment that does not diminish from anyone’s expectations and confidence. If they received an offer to join the company, that means they are highly capable of doing the same job, or else why higher them?  Research has proven that if women are more prone to see highly successful female role models, then they are more likely to support the idea that they can hold highly functional leadership goals (Dasgupta, & Asgari, 2004).   

It is important to have peer support, whether it is standing side by side to your female coworker or as a man, supporting female workers increases confidence and allows for a support system. It’s important to have an HR which stands forth with minorities within a company, providing necessary interventions if needed. Feedbacks and complaints need to be aligned with basic human rights protecting both genders and avoids discrimination. 

To conclude, women have been breaking borders by working in male dominated fields. However, the response towards this great step is for senior management to encourage diversity and inclusion. They should listen the attract and retain and take HR action based on what they learn. Managers in STEM related professions should start considering the role of the micro-environment and focus on the ways to promote better gender diversity (Fernando et al., 2018).