When I say something that should not be controversial
Why aren’t 50% of coal miners women? Why not 50% of janitors or pest control workers? Don’t forget front line military!
Likewise, why aren’t men 50% of college enrollment and 50% of teachers?We should eliminate the stupid “personal choice” thing because forcing people into certain professions is way more fun.
THIS IS NOT ABOUT FORCING PEOPLE INTO PROFESSIONS
THIS IS ABOUT WOMEN GOING INTO SCIENCE BEING DISCOURAGED
THIS IS ABOUT WOMEN BEING DISCRIMINATED AGAINSTFIRST, WHAT GBT SAID.^
SECOND…
FUNNY YOU SHOULD MENTION WOMEN COAL MINERS. BECAUSE I STUDY THEM. AND GUESS WHAT?
Women had to fight court cases to be allowed into coal mines as workers. Once a few women paved the way, thousands of women followed in short suit because on average, their incomes increased 500% over working as domestic workers, doing textile piecework and waitressing. Some saw their income jump 1000%.
Dig a little deeper, and you’ll find women have been mining coal for centuries. They were pushed out in the Victorian period because the mansplainers of the day could tolerate women wielding such a phallic object as a shovel underground with male workers present. And wearing pants! Still, women disguised themselves as men to work in the mines.
Oh, and World War II. Where did all the coal come from then? Oh, that’s right. Women. Women who were expected to stand aside and let the men take their jobs when the war was over and were denied benefits when they later developed black lung.
Also, can we just talk about how absurd it is to say that women don’t make up 50% of ‘janitors’?
Gee, I wonder if that’s because when a woman is hired to be the primary cleaner and caretaker of a property, it gets called ‘housekeeping’ or ‘maidservice’ and pays less than the EXACT SAME JOB, which if done by a man is given the title ‘janitor’?Why aren’t men 50% of college enrollment? Because men aren’t 50% of college applications. No one’s exactly sure why, but the prevailing guess? Because it’s easier for men to get a professional job without a degree. Which means it’s easier for men to earn a living wage without going into debt. Which increases the already existent wealth gap, already exacerbated by the income gap.
(And if you’ll allow me to get all snarkily gender essentialist for a moment, maybe you boys just can’t cut it in higher ed. Even those of you getting into colleges are dropping out at rates WAY higher than women. They were probably just there looking for a wife to provide for them, though, am I right? Ah, get back in the toolshed, don’t worry your silly little heads about it.)
Oh my god I want to fucking marry this entire post.
I’ve reblogged this before, but I’m pretty sure the commentary has gotten 300% better since the last time.
women, at least in the united states, were also not allowed to serve on the front lines in combat. and military academies/colleges like west point and the citadel did not allow women until 1976 and 1995, respectively.
women are the vast majority of teachers because women have always been paid less than men. when the common school movement started up in the united states, in the 19th c., there were not enough people to fill all the positions, and suddenly women were brought into the fold because women could be paid less, by virtue of being women, and because they were seen as natural nurturers (even then, male educators worried about the “emasculating effects of women teachers”). With the feminization of teaching, comes the idea that teaching as a profession is not worthwhile, not to be respected (a feeling that very much lingers to this day). In fact, I encourage you to read all of that page, as it illustrates exactly why more men aren’t teachers…
it’s very nice to talk about personal choice when you have it. for women in this country, and in most throughout the world, freedom of choice has not been a reality.
(via keptonice)
