Skills Sets in Nontraditional Careers
Job requirements have little or nothing to do with gender.
In fact, skill requirements in male- and female-dominated occupations are often more similar than you might expect.
Different genders, same skills
People sometimes avoid nontraditional careers because they're thinking about who works in the occupation and not what the job would actually be like. But did you know that some male-dominated careers use the same skills as some female-dominated fields?
Skill Profiles
Skill Profiles are graphs of which skills are most or least required by occupations. You can learn about how similar occupations are to each other by comparing their skill profiles. You may find some surprises, such as:
Registered Nurses and Civil Engineers
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Skill Profiles
The skill profile for Registered Nurses (92% female) is similar to the skill profile for Civil Engineers (11% female).
Construction Managers and Meeting & Convention Planners
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Skill Profiles
The skill profile for Construction Managers (6% female) is similar to the skill profile for Meeting & Convention Planners (80% female).
Firefighters and Personal & Home Care Aides
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Skill Profiles
The skill profile for Firefighters (4% female) is similar to the skill profile for Personal & Home Care Aides (87% female).
Don't let strength requirements deter you
Some women think they won't qualify for nontraditional occupations due to heavy lifting or other physical strength requirements. But the strength requirements of male-dominated fields are often exaggerated.
It's true that some male-dominated occupations do have slightly greater strength requirements than female-dominated occupations (see the chart below). But in general, the differences aren't as large as you might expect. So don't limit your options because of faulty assumptions.
Bona fide occupational qualifications
Sometimes, a company is legally able to specify that a certain job must be filled by a man or woman. In these cases, sex is a bona fide occupational qualification (BFOQ). There are no standard BFOQ occupations. Employers have to make the case that a job qualifies for BFOQ status.
But BFOQs are not common. For example, sex isn't a BFOQ for jobs with manual tasks or lifting (which are often filled by men), or for jobs that require nurturing or caretaking (which are often filled by women). Applicants must be judged on their individual abilities, not what's typical for their group.
