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Occupations like firefighter, astronaut, doctor, and pilot might top the list, when they grow up but how the reality will be?
“I wish I were a boy, so I could be a firefighter,” four-year-old Londoner Esme told her mother. Esme, who had only ever seen male firefighters in the books she had read, had assumed this career option was not open to her. Mum showed her female firefighters took to social amedia to show themselves at work. Thus, a delighted Esme is now safe in the knowledge her dream can come true. Like all good children’s storybooks, this one has a happy ending. But it’s an inescapable fact – as ILOSTAT data detailing employment by sex and occupation across 121 countries show – that many occupations around the world are still split by gender (Statista, 2021).
Care careers are female-dominated occupations
Women occupied mostly as a personal care worker, health care assistants and home-based personal workers. According to the latest ILOSTAT (2020) figures, 88% female are caring personnel compared to 12% male. Around three-quarters of health associate professionals – assistants in areas such as pathology, imaging, and pharmacy – are women, and 69% of health professionals, such as general medical doctors and nurses, are women.
While cleaning roles, teaching, clerical support, and food preparation are also dominated by 60% female workers, more risky occupations such as the military, plant machine operators and building work are significantly held by men. Across the 121 countries, men make up 97% of employment in building and related trades and as drivers and mobile plant operators; 90% or more of armed forces occupations; and 83% of those employed as labourers in mining, construction, manufacturing, and transport.
Gender balance
According to the data, there are only a few of occupations in which the gender split is being equal. Most of these are desk-bound jobs in legal, social, and cultural professions, also, business and administration associate professionals and sales workers. Hospitality and craft work also show 51% of women jobs in food processing, wood working, garment and other craft and related trades, and 54% of hospitality, retail, and other services managers.
Source: ILOSTAT Get the data Created with Datawrapper
Iranian women’s occupations
Like other countries, in addition to the role of care and nursing for Iranian women, the jobs of teacher and domestic worker are a continuation of the traditional plan of unpaid housekeeping at home. The participation rate of women in Iran in 1375 was 9.1, which shows the population of two million women in employment. But the male participation rate at the same time was 60.8%, which includes a population of fourteen million employed men. This statistic shows that only two million out of sixteen million women are active and working people in Iran, which indicates a minimal share of women in employment (Mohammadi, M., 138).
There is no viable solution for promoting women’s participation so far. Due to the high number of Iranian girls with higher university degrees and their remarkable achievements in high education and society, they still have limited career options; they are mainly encouraged to stay home and look after their families. Still, due to legal barriers, opportunities are not accessible to all Iranian women, then an influential population is virtually kept out of the economic scene.
Overall, the gender balance and women’s employment are the global disparities in developing and developed countries. Women’s behaviour in all countries is strongly influenced by the cultural approach and values of their country. Thus, some countries pay more attention to physiological structure than gender balance.