There are many fields of study that are dominated by men, like the military, construction work, engineering and law enforcement. That being said, there are women who have taken on the challenge of breaking down the stereotypes, but not enough to change the fact that men are the predominate figures in these roles. And there’s nothing wrong with male dominated fields -- there’s fields that women dominate as well -- but we shouldn’t shift our focus to a different area if what we have our sights set on is a field that may not have an overwhelming amount of women.
Up until recently, I wanted to be a sports reporter. If you ask anyone to name a sports reporter they’re not going to say a name like Kristine Leahy or Molly Qerim. Women aren’t known for their work in sports media. I realized, thankfully while I’m still in college, that I love sports and I love writing but I don’t think I’ll love writing about sports forever. This has nothing to do with the underrepresentation of women in that field of work. Working for a year or so, covering sports and being surrounded by a staff of guys didn’t bother me necessarily, but it did give me a different perspective on the issue. It’s not that women aren’t welcomed, but rather they’re not interested. It’s hard to find a woman who wants to dedicate her life to sports, off of the field that is.
I was asked by a professional in journalism recently why I picked sports when there are almost no women that are represented. And at first I thought, “Well, because I liked it.” But the more I got to thinking, it had nothing to do with whether I would be working with women or with men. When I thought sports was where I wanted to go I didn’t consider the fact that maybe I would be the only woman on staff. It hadn’t occurred to me until I was really the only woman on staff.
Sports is a little different because a lack of interest can be applied, but for many other areas of work, women may feel intimidated by the lack of their peers being other women. But that shouldn’t hold you back. Just because you’re underrepresented doesn’t mean that it’s not a career for you. You may have to work a little harder and put in a little more effort, but if it’s what you want to do, isn’t it worth it? And in some cases, things might even get handed to you. There are so many areas that are just desperately looking for women to diversify their staffs that opportunities might just fall into your lap. But don’t expect it, nor should you take it for granted.
Follow your passion and if that passion leads you to a field where there’s mostly men, I can almost guarantee you’re not the first woman to ever tackle that obstacle. Be encouraging to other women and don’t steer them in other directions in hopes of “protecting them.” If they want to try and make it in a place that isn’t crawling with other make up wearers and high heels clickers, let them. They can do it.
