Quick Takes

Published: March 2012

Download (Free)

A non traditional or male-dominated industry or occupation contains 25% or less women in total employment.¹ While women have made headway into certain industries and occupations, there is still a great gap between women and men in many industries and occupations. ²

Sex segregation persists in the labor force despite shifts over recent years that have desegregated certain occupations from being dominated by one gender. Women continue to be highly overrepresented in clerical, service, and health-related occupations, while men tend to be over overrepresented in craft, operator, and laborer jobs.³

Male-dominated industries provide particular challenges for women’s advancement. Catalyst research has found that talent management systems are frequently vulnerable to pro-male biases that inevitably result in less diverse employee pools. Because senior leadership teams, which tend to be dominated by men, set the tone for talent management norms, masculine stereotypes can creep into HR tools. Employees who meet criteria (potentially based on masculine stereotypes) are selected for promotion and/or tapped as future leaders and/or offered development opportunities. Because male-dominated industries and occupations tend to be particularly vulnerable to masculine stereotypes due to lack of diversity, women may find excelling in these industries or occupations to be particularly difficult.⁴

Some examples of male dominated industries include:

• Agriculture, forestry and fishing⁵
• Construction⁶
• Mining⁷
• Oil and gas⁸
• Utilities⁹

Male-Dominated Industries in Canada and the U.S.
Industry	Women’s Share in Canada, 201110	Women’s Share in U.S., 201111
Agriculture	29.5%	N/A
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting	N/A	24.7%
Construction	11.2%	9.2%
Fishing, Hunting, and Trapping	16.0%	13.7%
Forestry and Logging with Support Activities	14.8%	N/A
Mining (including oil and gas extraction)	19.0%	12.1%
Utilities	24.7%	22.2%

Women in Management in Male-Dominated Industries

Percent of Financial Post 500 Women Senior Officers¹²

 

Percent of Fortune 500 Women Executive Officers¹³

 

Women’s Share of Board Seats in Canada and the U.S.¹⁴

 

Occupations Dominated by One Gender

The following occupations are the most male-dominated occupations in Canada with 5,000 people or more. Less than 2% of the employees in all of these occupations are women.

10 Most Male-Dominated Occupations in Canada 15
Occupation	Total Number of People in Occupation	Share of Women Employees
Bricklayers	18,885	1.1%
Heavy-duty Equipment Mechanics	39,140	1.1%
Concrete Finishers	11,440	1.2%
Other Small Engine and Equipment Mechanics	6,815	1.2%
Gas Fitters	5,650	1.4%
Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanics	22,240	1.4%
Construction Millwrights and Industrial Mechanics (Except Textile)	75,900	1.5%
Electricians (Except Industrial and Power System)	72,390	1.6%
Industrial Electricians	29,960	1.7%
Steamfitters, Pipefitters, and Sprinkle System Installers	22,190	1.7%

The following occupations with 50,000 people or more are the most male-dominated occupations in the U.S. Less than 2% of the employees in all of these occupations are women.

10 Most Male-Dominated Occupations in the U.S. 16
Occupation	Total Number of People in Occupation	Share of Women Employees
Brickmasons, Blockmasons, and Stonemasons	151,000	.1%
Roofers	216,000	.5%
Small Engine Mechanics	58,000	.5%
Cement Masons, Concrete Finishers, and Terrazzo Workers	74,000	.6%
Logging workers	59,000	.7%
Heating, Air Conditioning, Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers	376,000	.7%
Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists	330,000	.8%
Tool and Die Makers	54,000	.9%
Structural Iron and Steel Workers	77,000	.9%
Crane and Tower Operators	61,000	1.1%

Female-Dominated Occupations

The following occupations with 5,000 people or more are heavily dominated by women; women make up the vast majority in each occupation.

Ten Most Prevalent Occupations for Employed Women in Canada 200617
Occupation	Total Number of People in Occupation	Women’s Share of Occupation
Secretaries	308,565	97.9%
Dental Hygienists and Dental Therapists	17,460	97.2%
Early Childhood Educators and Assistants	170,340	96.4%
Court Recorders and Medical Transcriptionists	7,760	96.1%
Dietitians and Nutritionists	8,750	94.8%
Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists	7,375	94.1%
Babysitters, Nannies, and Parents’ Helpers	69,785	94.0%
Receptionists and Switchboard Operators	146,320	93.8%
Nurse Supervisors and Registered Nurses	279,725	93.7%
Estheticians, Electrologists, and Related Occupations	37,590	93.6%

Women make up the majority of employees in the following occupations in the U.S

Ten Most Prevalent Occupations for Employed Women in the U.S., 201018
Occupation	Total Number of People in Occupation	Women’s Share of Occupation
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants	3,082,000	96.1%
Childcare Workers	1,247,000	94.7%
Receptionists and Information Clerks	1,281,000	92.7%
Teacher Assistants	966,000	92.4%
Registered Nurses	2,843,000	91.1%
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks	1,297,000	90.9%
Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners	1,407,000	89.0%
Nursing, Psychiatric, and Home Health Aides	1,928,000	88.2%
Personal and Home Care Aides	973,000	86.1%
Office Clerks, General	994,000	84.2%

Women and Men in Occupations in OECD Countries

• Women tend to work in a much narrower range of occupations than men; according to a report by the OECD, half of all women work in eleven or fewer of the major occupation groups.¹⁹
• However, half of the men work in more than twenty of these occupations.²⁰
• Gender gaps in occupations are particularly marked in the United States, Italy, Ireland, Greece and the United Kingdom compared to other OECD countries.²¹

Female Dominated Occupations in 20 OECD Countries22
Women Occupations	Women to Men Ratio*
Pre-primary Education Teaching Associate Professionals	14.5 : 1
Nursing and Midwifery Professionals	10.1 : 1
Secretaries and Keyboard-operating Clerks	9.8 : 1
Nursing and Midwifery Associate Professionals	9.5 : 1
Personal Care and Related Workers	9.3 : 1
Primary Education Teaching Associate Professionals	6.2 : 1
Shop, Stall and Market Salespersons and Demonstrators	5.8 : 1
Special Education Teaching Professionals	5.6 : 1
Domestic and Related Helpers, Cleaners and Launderers	5.4 : 1
Primary and Pre-primary Education Teaching	5.3 : 1

*The ratio of women employees to male employees. For example, there are over 14 women working in "Pre-primary education teaching associate professionals," for every man in the occupation.

Male Dominated Occupations in 20 OECD Countries23
Men Occupations	Men to Women Ratio
Miners, Shot Firers, Stone Cutters and Carvers	80.2 : 1
Building Frame and Related Trades Workers	64.8 : 1
Ships’ Deck Crews and Related Workers	52.9 : 1
Building Finishers and Related Trades Workers	35.4 : 1
Mining and Construction Labourers	35.3 : 1
Agricultural and Other Mobile Plant Operators	30.5 : 1
Mining and Mineral-Processing-Plant Operators	24.5 : 1
Metal Moulders, Welders, Sheet-Metal Workers, Structural-Metal Preparers, and Related Trades Workers	23.1 : 1
Machinery Mechanics and Fitters	21.7 : 1
Power-Production and Related Plant Operators	15.9 : 1

Catalyst Award Winners

The Catalyst Award annually honors innovative organizational approaches with proven, measurable results that address the recruitment, development, and advancement of all women, including women of color.

Four of the companies that won the Catalyst Award were in male-dominated industries.

• CH2M Hill (2009)²⁴
• Nissan (2008)²⁵
• BP (2006)²⁶
• Georgia Pacific (2005)²⁷

Sources

¹ Department of Labor, Women’s Bureau, "Quick Facts on Nontraditional Occupations for Women," 2008 Annual Averages (2009).

²Catalyst Research and Analysis (2012); Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, "Table 18: Employed Persons by Detailed Industry, Sex, Race, and Hispanic or Latino Ethnicity," Annual Averages 2011 (2012). Statistics Canada, "Table 282-0008: Labour Force Survey Estimates (LFS), by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), Sex and Age Group" (2012).

³ Barbara Wootten, Gender Differences in Occupational Employment (April 1997).

⁴Anika K. Warren, Cascading Gender Biases, Compounding Effects: An Assessment of Talent Management Systems (Catalyst, 2009).

⁵Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, "Table 18: Employed Persons by Detailed Industry, Sex, Race, and Hispanic or Latino Ethnicity," Annual Averages 2011 (2012). Statistics Canada, "Table 282-0008: Labour Force Survey Estimates (LFS), by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), Sex and Age Group" (2012).

⁶Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, "Table 18: Employed Persons by Detailed Industry, Sex, Race, and Hispanic or Latino Ethnicity," Annual Averages 2011 (2012). Statistics Canada, "Table 282-0008: Labour Force Survey Estimates (LFS), by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), Sex and Age Group" (2012).

⁷Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, "Table 18: Employed Persons by Detailed Industry, Sex, Race, and Hispanic or Latino Ethnicity," Annual Averages 2011 (2012). Statistics Canada, "Table 282-0008: Labour Force Survey Estimates (LFS), by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), Sex and Age Group" (2012).

⁸Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, "Table 18: Employed Persons by Detailed Industry, Sex, Race, and Hispanic or Latino Ethnicity," Annual Averages 2011 (2012). Statistics Canada, "Table 282-0008: Labour Force Survey Estimates (LFS), by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), Sex and Age Group" (2012).

⁹Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, "Table 18: Employed Persons by Detailed Industry, Sex, Race, and Hispanic or Latino Ethnicity," Annual Averages 2011 (2012). ; Statistics Canada, "Table 282-0008: Labour Force Survey Estimates (LFS), by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), Sex and Age Group" (2012).

¹⁰ Statistics Canada, "Table 282-0008: Labour Force Survey Estimates (LFS), by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), Sex and Age Group" (2012).

¹¹Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, "Table 18: Employed Persons by Detailed Industry, Sex, Race, and Hispanic or Latino Ethnicity," Annual Averages 2011 (2012).

¹² Liz Mulligan-Ferry, Rachel Soares, Jan Combopiano, Jaye Cullen, and Laura Riker, "Appendix 7: Women’s Representation by NAICS Industry," 2010 Catalyst Census: Financial Post 500 Women Senior Officers and Top Earners (Catalyst, 2011).

¹³ Rachel Soares, Baye Cobb, Ellen Lebow, Hannah Winsten, Veronica Wojnas, and Allyson Regis, "Appendix 7: Women’s Representation by NAICS Industry," 2011 Catalyst Census: Fortune 500 Women Board Directors (Catalyst, 2011).

¹⁴ Liz Mulligan-Ferry, Morgan Friedrich, and Sabra Nathanson, "Appendix 5: Women’s Representation by NAICS Industry," 2011 Catalyst Census: FP500 Women Board Directors (Catalyst, 2012).; Rachel Soares, Baye Cobb, Ellen Lebow, Hannah Winsten, Veronica Wojnas, and Allyson Regis, "Appendix 7: Women’s Representation by NAICS Industry," 2011 Catalyst Census: Fortune 500 Women Board Directors (Catalyst, 2011).

¹⁵ Statistics Canada, "Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 97-559-XCB20060112006: Occupation - National Occupational Classification for Statistics 2006 (720), Class of Worker (6) and Sex (3) for the Labour Force 15 Years and Over of Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2006 Census - 20% Sample Data," Census of Population (2008).

¹⁶ Department of Labor, "Nontraditional Occupations for Women in 2009" (April 2010).

¹⁷ Statistics Canada, "Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 97-559-XCB20060112006: Occupation - National Occupational Classification for Statistics 2006 (720), Class of Worker (6) and Sex (3) for the Labour Force 15 Years and Over of Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2006 Census - 20% Sample Data," Census of Population (2008).

¹⁸ Bureau of Labor Statistics, "20 Leading Occupations of Employed Women," Annual Averages 2010.

¹⁹ "Occupations of Men and Women," Women and Men in OECD Countries (2005).

²⁰ "Occupations of Men and Women," Women and Men in OECD Countries (2005).

²¹ "Occupations of Men and Women," Women and Men in OECD Countries (2005).

²² "Occupations of Men and Women," Women and Men in OECD Countries (2005).

²³ "Occupations of Men and Women," Women and Men in OECD Countries (2005).

²⁴ Catalyst, "CH2M HILL—Constructing Pathways for Women Through Inclusion" (2009)

²⁵ Catalyst, "Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.—Women in the Driver's Seat: Gender Diversity as a Lever in Japan" (2008).

²⁶ Catalyst, "BP p.l.c.—Global Path to Diversity and Inclusion" (2006).

²⁷ Catalyst, "Georgia-Pacific Corporation—Bridging Cultures, Leveraging Differences" (2005).

UPDATED March 8, 2012