Best-Paying Jobs That Women Aren't In

I have a business degree and have worked for 30 years in several different industries. Without a doubt, the common thread that creates this disparity is that men are almost always willing to put their careers and themselves first. They spend the first 25 years of their career focusing on getting ahead by working long hours and choosing career over family. After career on their priority list is usually themselves (working out, participating in sports, working on a hobby, etc.) and family comes in third and sometimes fourth on that list. Until women are prepared to live their career life that way, men will continue to dominate executive positions. Is it fair? Maybe not. Will it change? Maybe so, but not for a very long time. One thing is for certain for women who want a career and a family: one will always be sacrificed for the other. It just stands to reason that if your child is sick you are going to stay home with them and therefore are not as effective on the job because you aren't there. By the same token, if you're working long hours to finish a project, etc. then you can't be there for your child. You can kid yourself all you want that you can do both and do both well, but it's not possible to be in two places at once, even if you work out of your home. There's also the desire to not climb to the top, and many women would prefer to stay in the lower ranks to have and raise a family. And there's certainly nothing wrong with that.

I think engineering is a very cushy, high paying job with flexibility. I have no clue why more women are not interested in pursuing an engineering degree.

i am doing my dissertation on the lack of female representation at the executive level and what types of strategies can help women be successful. yes, the fact that women are underrepresented at the CEO level is nothing new and yes, the inflexibility to accomodate working mothers is part of that.

it's an interesting topic, but being the optimist that i am, i have to say things are indeed changing. a new knowledge economy is ahead for us and that is something women excel at. we are inherently good listeners, problem solvers, and delegators. these qualities will make women ripe for future job possibilities. i can only hope that more organizations will realize this and take advantage of our resources.

Registered Nurses make more than the salary quoted for architects. It is not a low paying job, it is a very well paying job, and women are drawn to those jobs because they are nurturers. Education is pretty well paying where I live, and we get summers off! The problem with the jobs mentioned is that leave little time for work/life balance, and maybe a lot of women are just not willing to do that, good for them!

The reason women are under represented in CEO position is lag time. We have a whole lot of young women moving up the ladder, but to be ready as a CEO they wouldn't needed to graduate in the 60's & 70's which they did not.

As for these particular fields - so what? It's not a surprise that men who are a foot & 1/2 taller than me with a lot more muscles are doing the crappy labor jobs.

And "Marry Foreign Women" you sound so UN-educated that nobody takes you seriously. Women are smarter than men in this was. We let you work horses do all the beginning work from scratch, then we step in and bring that company to the next level, which is why you men make us the new CEO!! HAHAHA

I've worked in two major corporations and it was nearly impossible for any woman to get promoted to any position in them unless she was either 1. a totally agressive bitch or 2. Young and hot. Its the men who are keeping us down.

Oh yes, I've always dreamed of being a Railroad Conductor and Yardmaster! Rail is such a growing entity here in the USA with Amtrak's impressive service! (sarcasm).

wow marry foreign women- i wasn't trying to sound like a saint or know it all. i'm in education, not business. i have no desire to be a CEO, you are correct. I couldn't and wouldn't hack it. I have no desire to. but i do have a desire to watch my fellow sisters do so if they want to. and i see nothing wrong with researching ways in which they can do it.

i don't have a cushy job. i make $40k a year doing mostly clerical work. i am not married nor do i have children. i'm 33. so i guess i am in a position to start my own company if i wanted to, based on what you have said. i've already "given up" everything for my career.

and if you read my post, i said my dissertation was about women underrepresented at executive levels of management. not just CEO. but CEO levels are what is reported (check the list of women heading Fortune 100 companies). so that is why i referrenced it.

in addition, i think women can make it to the top and be wives and mothers. men are husbands and fathers and do it. they don't give up jack- they get a stay at home trophy wife to do all the work. women can get a stay at home trophy husband if they want. my bf has offered to be a stay at home dad if i get the career as a tenure professor that i hope for. it's possible.

try reading "mother leads best". it is full of stories of over 50 executive wives and mothers who made their career and family work. in fact, mothers have many of the qualities and skills needed to be good leaders.

but in ending here, you are right. i fully agree. i don't want to be a CEO and would not hack it. But i think anyone (male or female) should have the resources to do so. There is no need to research how men accomplish this because you've already laid out the ground rules. When i am finished with my dissertation, i will let you know if the same guidelines hold true for women. does that sound like a plan?

That doesn't make any sense in response to what either of us said. Who claimed that being married was getting in the way or that I wanted a husband or family for that matter!! Try again!

Not that we would need a study to tell us what most people already know, but studies show that luvinlife is right.

Hey cutebanker! I am just finishing my Bachelor's in Finance and I work at a bank too! U got some of those strategies to share on how I'm going to get to the top?

Most of these jobs are probably taken by males who belong to the dominant group, talking about having equal access to equal resources... not so much in the US we like to think and SAY that we do have equality, but its one of those things that some people will benefit from this racist system. Just check for yourselves.

Taken from the Census Bureau

In 2000-2001 Median income, individuals employed year round, full time:
Black men: 21,466 31,921 Black Men
 White men 31,791 43,194 White Men
Hispanic Men 20,189 25,271 Hisp. Men
 Black women: 16,282 27,297 Black women 
 White women: 17,229 31,794 White Women
 Latina Women 12,583 21,973 Hisp. Women

Education & Jobs:
2001 Graduation rates (high school) whites 83%, Blacks 72.1%, American Indians 65.6 %,
Latinos 52.9%; Asians – 79.7 (Foreign Born 74.8%; U.S. Born 86.4%)

Whites - 28.6% hold Professional/managerial jobs, 12.6% work in low end jobs
Blacks - 18.7% “”””””””””””””””””””””””””””””, 22.5% work in low end jobs
American Indians – 8.6% “”””””””””””””””””””, almost 50% work in low end jobs

2006 Bachelor’s Degree or higher – Whites 29.7%; Blacks 16.3%; Hispanics 13.5%;
Asians – F.B. 50.1%; US Born 48.3%

In 2007 Median Family income all families –$50,233
Non-Hispanic Whites $54,920
Blacks $33,916
Asian $66,103
Hispanic $38,679
American Indian $33,024 (Stats from 2003)
U.S. Born – $50,946; Foreign Born $37,637

2001 Payoff for College
White men with Bachelors Median Income – 52,303 White women with Bachelors $34,824
Black men ’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’ – 41,650 Black women “””””””””””” $34,287
Hispanic Men 40,926 Hispanic Women “”””””””” $30,689

Stats for American Indians are based on combined statistics, taken from the U.S. Census, for the largest twenty five nations/tribes in the United States. These include: Cherokee, Navajo, Sioux, Chippewa, Choctaw, Pueblo, Apache, Iriquois, Lumbee, Creek, Blackfoot, Chickasaw, O'Odham, Potawatomi, Seminole, Pima, Tlingit, Athabaskans, Cheyenne, Comanche, Paiute, Osage, Salish, Yaqui

Primary data taken from US Census for applicable year cited.

its not that women CANT do these jobs, or dont want to...its that they are not flexible enough for most moms.

micheala- to answer your question- the research i am finding so far shows that women really need a mentor to show them the ropes. and yes, this can be a male or female. but a mentor has the experience in the field and knows the politics of the game. and it's more than just meeting for coffee. you need to come to this person with concrete issues and set goals for your future.

it's not about spending a bijillion hours a day in the office and working all weekend. it's about working hard at being successful, learning from your mistakes, asking for guidance, creating a working relationship with your manager by asking what can i personally do to accomplish the needs of this department? just putting yourself out there as a go-getter makes you stand out from your fellow coworkers.

you also need to research for a company that is family-friendly and female-friendly in their policies. what is their ratio of male to female managers? do they have career paths for their employees? is flex time or working from home an option?

and lastly, network network network!!! this is something men are fundamentally much better at than women. we don't golf with clients and managers. we don't go to happy hour because we have familial responsibilities. we don't negotiate salaries. only you can decide where your priorities are. getting ahead in the office does mean succumbing to a certain number of sacrifices. a lot of women begin the corporate path and decide that being a wife and mother is more important. and we have to support that choice! but if you want to do both, it can and is possible. managers who are mothers possess many qualities that make them good leaders and responsible/trustworthy managers to their subordinates.

don't let the naysayers get in your way. you decide what is important to you. and if you decide 10 or 20 years down the line that your priorities have shifted and being CEO isn't your dream, then so be it. but for goodness sake please support other women who choose to!

BTW marry foreign women- if you can please provide a peer-reviewed journal article showing the items you listed as being necessary to become CEO I would appreciate it. I could use that in my literature review.

Thanks!

I well understand it. I can help with the question decision.

As much as necessary.

I think listing CEO isn't a very good choice, as there are simply not that many openings for CEO for men either to consider it really a career choice of anybody. When I build corporate websites freelance, I make about $125 per hour. it just all depends on what niche your in and how many other people can do it, the more people who are able, the less they will pay.

I do know a lot of women who work for a food company in minneapolis, most are married and they go for the benefits over the dollars as their husbands usually are pulling in the dollars.