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Post by maryland on Feb 8, 2016 1:15:06 GMT
I love your post! We wanted to raise our girls to enjoy all different activities, toys, etc. and wanted them to be well rounded. They are pre-teens/teens and they much prefer outdoor chores to indoor chores. So the girls and I all argue over who gets to mow, we all want to mow. Same with shoveling the snow. My husband chooses and plants the flowers. So we all enjoy different activities and we could care less if they are stereotypical male or female. Your sons sound like they will make great husbands someday and I hope I raised my girls to make wonderful wives (if that's what they chose)! This is the nicest thing I have heard ever. You have no idea. Thank you! You are welcome!
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Post by Merge on Feb 8, 2016 2:18:53 GMT
As much as I hope my girls will not be limited in their career choices by their gender, I also think that many people of both genders simply choose the type of profession and career path that they prefer. Personally, I never felt that I *couldn't* be a doctor or a scientist or an auto mechanic - I just had no interest in being any of those things. The female-dominated profession I chose -music education- was my choice, both out of professional interest and because it matched up well with my desire for work/life balance.
My husband initially chose teaching as his profession, too, but has since moved into the business world. He still makes career choices based in part on wanting work/life balance, though. Being a present spouse and an involved parent is as important to him as it is to me. That decision has limited his advancement and earning potential to a degree, just as it would do for a woman.
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tincin
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,368
Jul 25, 2014 4:55:32 GMT
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Post by tincin on Feb 8, 2016 2:56:39 GMT
I'm going to put some of this on women. As an example, recently on a FB group women were complaining about people giving a thumbs down to videos and how mean that is and how we should all encourage and only thumbs up or just turn it off if we don't like the video. As long as women are going to represent ourselves as too fragile to handle a thumbs down we can forget getting men to take us seriously in the important areas of life, like a career. Some women are too fragile, as are some men, however many of us can handle criticism just fine.
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M in Carolina
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,128
Jun 29, 2014 12:11:41 GMT
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Post by M in Carolina on Feb 8, 2016 3:42:21 GMT
I've really liked the male nurses that I've had. Most of them became nurses through the military. They tend to believe you when you are in pain and don't give you a hard time and tell you to just "suck it up". We women can be so mean to each other. I've also never had a male nurse give me a "lecture" about the meds I'm on.
I'm so glad that there are parents that are teaching their kids that they can do anything and it's ok to like what you like even if it's not the gender norm.
Paigepea, your dd sounds amazing. Whatever she winds up doing with her life, the encouragement of you and you dh and all this studying and ambition will serve her well.
I learned to fly airplanes at 17. I dealt with a lot of misogyny. In the aviation 101 class I took in college, out of about 50 students, there were only 2 girls. I had to drop out because of my health.
My friend just finished her training at an airline to fly 737s after flying private jets for years. I'm so proud of her and can't wait until all female flight crews are the norm and not the exception.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Feb 8, 2016 5:44:18 GMT
One of my sisters went to trade school for a traditionally male dominated field and graduated at the very top of her class. She went on to get hired right away not only because she was the top graduate of the program and could obviously do the job but also because she was a woman and would help that company fill a quota.
While she was happy to have a job at a time when good paying jobs for anyone were hard to come by, it was very hard for her to be in that type of a job because she was harassed by her male coworkers DAILY. Some of the stuff they did and said to her and about her was downright disgusting. She isn't a confrontational type at all, she just wanted to do her job and get paid. Being in that kind of environment was extremely stressful. It didn't take her long before she decided to strike out on her own and start her own business, not in small part to get away from being harassed and treated disrespectfully. When those types of situations are quietly condoned and not immediately shut down by supervisors and management, the status quo will never change.
On the flip side of the coin, one of my brothers worked for the food service program with the public school system as a "lunch dude". I think every one of his coworkers--including his supervisor and his boss--were women. I'm pretty sure he was never harassed at all in that situation, although he did eventually move on to a different public service position that paid better.
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Post by lightetc on Feb 8, 2016 10:23:33 GMT
I did an activity with my Girl Guides once, giving them a stack of cards with different occupations on them. I asked them to make a pile of all the ones they could do when they grew up, if they wanted to. And a pile for the ones women couldn't do.
They were doing well and had all bar two in the "can do" pile. Looking at the two they had left I let them know that yes, they could be a fighter pilot if they wanted to, and that I was an engineer so they could definitely do that. The looks on their faces at that revelation was funny and scary (I'm somewhat consoled that there are 30 less girls in this world that don't realise they can be an engineer or pilot if they want to). Then I got in trouble for tricking them - there was no can't do pile. It would be interesting to see them do the same thing with occupations for men.
You've got to have a lot of drive or passion or stubbornness or a very thick skin to stand out in this world and getting through a university course and into a career as a minority certainly counts as standing out. I found myself changing what I wore to classes just so I didn't stand out anymore than I already did. I sat there one day realising everyone else in the room of 80 people could pee standing up - clearly the lecture was fascinating that day. It's only now, in my late 20s that I'm starting to embrace the differences and just be me instead of trying to blend in.
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Post by jenis40 on Feb 8, 2016 13:40:28 GMT
When I was hospitalized during my cancer treatment I had lots of male nurses and they were all awesome. One of them was my top two favorite nurses because he was super efficient yet still very caring. On a side note, both times I had to be cathed I had male nurses. They were very professional but I quickly learned you have to get over any prudishness when you're hospitalized. I had one time where I requested a female nurse. I was cathed, started my period and just needed a woman's touch that night. It was the only time I made a request.
In terms of male to female ratio, there were far more female than male nurses but there were at least 2 male nurses and/or CNA's at each shift. My oncologist is male but 1/3 of his practice is female(all the nurses and admin are female though). The transplant team at OHSU was almost half female doctors. There are a large number of nurse practitioner and physician assistants that are part of the transplant teams and the male to female ratio is skewed more female but there were several males. I wonder if oncology attracts more males in nurse/NP roles because it is specialized? Also, the Bone Marrow Transplant teams would be somewhat prestigious and probably pay well due to the specialization. I know you have to have additional training and several of my nurses had PHD's. (It is also a teaching hospital).
My dentist and hygienist are both female. Actually the whole practice is female. My cousin is a hydraulic engineer for Caterpillar (she's wicked smart) and I have another good friend who is a construction engineer. She primarily does cost estimates. Her family owned a construction business (roads) which is what lead to her interest. I also know quite a few male teachers but none teach the younger grades (K-4).
I think it is more acceptable for women to "reach up" in terms of a professional career than it is for a man to choose a career that is considered more women oriented in society's eyes. This is sad because I had some damn good male nurses and it's a shame to think society is missing out because of social stigma.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 19, 2024 9:31:59 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2016 14:59:28 GMT
I've been discussing careers with ds. He's in Grade 10 about to pick his courses for Grade 11. This is where career planning starts to kick in because he will need the prerequisites for programs that he's interested in. He is looking at both college and university options. College and university are distinctly different in Canada. We've been discussing many options but one that came up was Dental Hygiene. One school had a collaborative program with 2 years in college for DH followed by 2 years in university. You end up with a diploma in DH and a degree in Public Health which is a very good combination. Job prospects are great, starting wages are very good (not that ds is sold on the idea but exploring different options is a good idea). Anyway, Dental Hygienists are 95% female. Why is that? Dentists are increasingly male and female. Male dentists can be compassionate. Why are there so few males in Dental Hygiene? Nursing is still a predominantly female occupation yet physicians are male and female. Again, in our area nurses are well paid and still in demand. Why so few males? Why are female numbers still low in the trade sector if job prospects are good? It used to be that way in engineering but I believe it's around 50/50 in Ontario now. I used to have a male hygienist and really liked him. He ended up leaving it and going back to school to get into a better paying career.
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perumbula
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,439
Location: Idaho
Jun 26, 2014 18:51:17 GMT
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Post by perumbula on Feb 8, 2016 16:08:46 GMT
When a little girl says she wants to be a nurse when she grows up, what do people say to her? Oh how nice! Nursing is a good career!
What does a little boy hear when he says he wants to be a nurse? How about doctor? You can help people as a doctor too!
Girls are just encouraged to have goals. Boys are encouraged to have "higher" goals.
When I was in school I excelled at language arts. I also excelled at math and science. I was asked what I wanted to major in at college, but I was never encouraged to do math or science. When I said "English" my math and science teacher left me alone. When the boys who were good at math and science were asked what they wanted to do, they were encouraged to do math and science and the teachers mentored them and helped them along. If I had said math and science to begin with myself, I'm sure they would have been encouraging. But they weren't willing to try and change my mind or talk to me about my options. I saw the boys get career counseling. The girls just got asked what they wanted to do. It's hard to know what is best for you without the kind of help and support the boys got. Honestly, I should have been an architect, not an English major. If I had had the same level of counseling the boys got, that probably would have been my career path.
That kind of mentoring and career counseling pushes people to choose the "higher" positions in the field. When they are counseled they can see what different jobs are available and what it takes to get those jobs. They also feel more empowered to achieve those jobs. So boys don't want to be teachers, they want to be superintendents. They don't want to be hygienists, they want to be the dentist.
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