Here’s to all the girls in a stereotypical “Man’s Career”. You’re the real MVPs. After talking to friends in stereotypical male-dominated fields like policing, personal training, firefighting, sport management, construction, law, medicine, the STEM fields, etc. and reflecting on my own experiences, I’ve compiled a list of the most common things women hear while working in a “man’s job.”
1.“Honey, are you sure you can handle this?”
Yes. We can be just as strong and just as smart as men. Don't you worry if we can handle it.
2. “Whoa, I got that for you.”
There’s being polite, and there’s undermining abilities. Hold the door for me? That’s fine, and thank you so much. Offer to do all the heavy lifting and manual labor? Kay, bro, that’s a little excessive.
3. “You’re a little feisty today. Is it- you know that time of the month?”
If you’re allowed to have a bad day just because the Giants lost last night, we can have bad days and not have it related to PMS.
4.“Oh, you’re in (man’s career field). Do you.. (insert easiest job here)?”
Not necessarily. Please stop assuming that because we are construction workers, policemen, firefighters, in the medical field, etc. that we are just assistants, dispatchers, secretaries, or the people who turn the stop/slow sign. Not that there is anything wrong with those jobs, it’s just frustrating for a lot of women to always be assumed to be doing the easiest and in turn the “girliest” job out there.
5.“Oh… are you a lesbian?” or “She’s got to be sleeping with her coworkers. Whore.”
Our careers have nothing to do with sexuality. I hate hearing comments like “tomboy” or “bulldyke" just because I’ve worked construction. Other friends have told me they were called things like “whore”, “slut”, and “skank” just because they were hanging out with their male coworkers after work.
6. “Maybe you should change your field to (insert stereotypical woman’s career here)!”
No. Nobody should have to change their career to fit anyone else’s idea of what it means to be a woman with a career.
