With Election Day just a few months away, there is one topic that will surely be on voters’ minds when they step into the voting booth: jobs. Where are the jobs, and how can I get one? Well, for guys, the answer to that question might be surprising. Over the past several years, there has been a growing demand for men in occupations that are traditionally female-dominated. Let’s take a look at pink-collar jobs: the fastest-growing jobs for men that are conventionally reserved for women.
Nurses
Murses: although the not-so-creative moniker may be off-putting, the increase in male nurses over the past few years is quite an attractive prospect. Around 6% of the three million licensed registered nurses in the United States are male, so there is certainly room for more, but this number is double the amount of male nurses in 1980. Male nurses offer many valuable skills that their female counterparts do not; men can restrain patients more easily than women and can garner more authority when dealing with patients who are intoxicated or reckless. Along with great pay (nurse anesthetists usually earn six figures) and fantastic job outlook (registered nurses have the highest growth of all professions in the U.S.), it’s evident that finding the confidence to rise above the male nurse “stigma” has immediate benefits for men.
Teachers
When I was in elementary school, male teachers were a rarity. Today, male teachers are becoming more common, with an increase of 28% over the last twenty years according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Although women greatly outnumber men in these fields, particularly in early education, men have the ability to make significant progress in this untapped profession. In addition, there has also been pressure from society to get more men teaching in schools, with individuals claiming that men are needed in order to properly discipline students and serve as positive role models for boys. Regardless of any stigma that might be associated with male teachers, especially preschool and elementary teachers, there is massive possibility for growth in these fields; after all, it doesn’t seem likely that the teaching industry will be fading out anytime soon.
Dental Hygienists
In an occupation where 90% of dental assistants and hygienists are women, it may be difficult to grasp why men should even be bothered with finding work in this field (on second thought, maybe that’s exactly why men should bother); however, upon closer inspection, you may be surprised to discover that this field has a great outlook. Data from the Census Bureau shows that from 2000 to 2010, jobs where females held more than 70% of the available positions had the largest growth of male placement, responsible for one third of job growth for men. In addition, the number of dental assistants and hygienists are expected to increase extensively over the next few years, solidifying the notion that this is a great field for men to pursue.
The 2008 recession combined with altering gender roles have had an extreme impact on men. Jobs in construction, automotive, manufacturing, and even the airline industry were nearly decimated. But despite naysayers and critics who claimed that men didn’t have the skills necessary to adapt to a new job market, they did. As a matter of fact, these jobs represent a faction of the economy that will increase by more than 14% this decade (a staggering 20.5 million jobs) many of which will be scooped up by men. Although these new jobs – whether in nursing, administrative work, teaching, or retail – may be unconventional for men, they could be the perfect fit for those guys looking to pursue fast-growing opportunities.