Of the 785 occupations classified by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, two thirds have a higher concentration of men employed.
However, a new study from CareerBuilder shows a greater number of women are moving into roles that have traditionally been held by the opposite sex—and vice versa.
Nearly 1 in 4 (24%) of new jobs added in male-dominated occupations from 2009 to 2017 were taken by women. As it stands today, 23% of all male-dominated occupations are held by female workers. More women are breaking into roles ranging from CEOs, lawyers, and surgeons to web developers, chemists, producers and directors.
On the flip side, 30% of new jobs added in female-dominated occupations from 2009 to 2017 were taken by men. Today, 27% of all female-dominated occupations are held by male workers. Men have grown their presence in roles ranging from education administrators, pharmacists, and interior designers to cooks, accountants, and human resources managers.
The study involved extensive analysis of 2009 to 2017 data from Emsi, CareerBuilder's labor market analysis arm, which pulls information from multiple federal and state labor market sources.
"Women and men are sidestepping preconceived notions and crossing over into roles that historically have been heavily populated by the opposite sex," says Rosemary Haefner, chief human resources officer for CareerBuilder.
"Over the last ten years, women have been gaining ground in management, law, and various STEM-related roles. More men are moving into education and training, support roles, and creative fields. While there is still room for improvement in terms of finding balance, there seems to be less gender bias when it comes to hiring and choosing career paths."
Women Entering Male-Dominated Occupations (2009–2017)
According to CareerBuilder's analysis, more women are moving into leadership roles as well as occupations tied to science, technology, engineering, and math.
Of the 12,385 new chief executive jobs that were added from 2009 to 2017, women accounted for 28% of them. Women also took nearly half of new jobs for lawyers, veterinarians, and marketing managers and nearly a third of new jobs for surgeons and web developers.
| Occupation | No. of Jobs 2017 | % of Women Employed 2017 | % of Men Employed 2017 | Jobs Added 2009-17 | Increase in Women Employed 2009-17 | % of Women in New Jobs 2009-17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawyers | 631,899 | 38% | 62% | 31,815 | 15,247 | 48% |
| Vets | 70,935 | 46% | 54% | 12,540 | 5,974 | 48% |
| Commercial & Industrial Designers | 33,175 | 46% | 54% | 4,373 | 2,085 | 48% |
| Marketing Managers | 207,610 | 44% | 56% | 30,038 | 14,221 | 47% |
| Optometrists | 37,504 | 46% | 54% | 7,292 | 3,155 | 43% |
| Mgmt. Analysts | 662,722 | 45% | 55% | 96,446 | 41,030 | 43% |
| Sales Managers | 382,032 | 41% | 59% | 40,307 | 17,345 | 43% |
| Producers & Directors | 112,907 | 41% | 59% | 18,671 | 7,813 | 42% |
| Chemists | 87,746 | 39% | 61% | 6,132 | 2,583 | 42% |
| Coaches & Scouts | 234,742 | 38% | 62% | 25,764 | 10,480 | 41% |
| Private Investigators | 32,667 | 42% | 58% | 3,896 | 1,603 | 41% |
| Emergency Medical Technicians & Paramedics | 248,923 | 37% | 63% | 28,929 | 11,420 | 40% |
| Financial Analysts | 286,398 | 37% | 63% | 31,789 | 12,644 | 40% |
| Team Assemblers | 1,144,211 | 39% | 61% | 196,095 | 77,426 | 40% |
| Computer Systems Analysts | 599,910 | 35% | 65% | 132,139 | 44,769 | 34% |
| General & Operations Managers | 2,259,632 | 29% | 71% | 259,923 | 84,523 | 33% |
| Firefighters | 326,951 | 5% | 95% | 3,232 | 1,029 | 32% |
| Surgeons | 43,497 | 33% | 67% | 5,548 | 1,174 | 31% |
| Web Developers | 143,606 | 32% | 68% | 38,606 | 11,824 | 31% |
| Dentists, General | 105,409 | 29% | 71% | 14,865 | 4,642 | 31% |
| CEOs | 255,916 | 24% | 76% | 12,385 | 3,518 | 28% |
Men Entering Female-Dominated Occupations (2009–2017)
Looking at occupations with a higher concentration of women, men accounted for at least half of new jobs for pharmacists, education administrators, retail sales, merchandise displayers, and cooks.
| Occupation | No. of Jobs 2017 | % of Women Employed 2017 | % of Men Employed 2017 | Jobs Added 2009-17 | Increase in Men Employed 2009 - 2017 | % of Men in New Jobs Added 2009-17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cooks, Institution & Cafeteria | 436, 096 | 61% | 39% | 29,235 | 18,686 | 64% |
| Merchandise Displayers & Window Trimmers | 102,015 | 55% | 45% | 6,760 | 3,955 | 59% |
| Retail Salesperson | 4,657,856 | 54% | 46% | 376,966 | 218,889 | 58% |
| Pharmacists | 305,821 | 54% | 46% | 19,626 | 9,823 | 50% |
| Education Administrators, Postsecondary | 134,301 | 61% | 39% | 8,427 | 4,114 | 49% |
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | 1,397,509 | 80% | 20% | 17,716 | 8,712 | 49% |
| Bartenders | 623,602 | 55% | 45% | 100,813 | 48,111 | 48% |
| Insurance Sales Agents | 515,211 | 56% | 44% | 102,907 | 44,077 | 43% |
| Market Research Analysts & Marketing Specialists | 550,900 | 57% | 43% | 109,749 | 46,044 | 42% |
| Accountants & Auditors | 1,326,702 | 59% | 41% | 170,284 | 69,392 | 41% |
| Technical Writers | 52,631 | 55% | 45% | 8,931 | 3,773 | 42% |
| Interior Designers | 53,219 | 54% | 46% | 4,071 | 1,653 | 41% |
| Fitness Trainers & Aerobics Instructors | 262,807 | 59% | 41% | 38,533 | 15,236 | 40% |
| Tele- marketers | 235,733 | 62% | 38% | 18,191 | 7,272 | 40% |
| Training & Development Specialists | 270,406 | 60% | 40% | 31,602 | 12,249 | 39% |
| Respiratory Therapists | 127,057 | 63% | 37% | 12,035 | 4,430 | 37% |
| HR Managers | 134,849 | 62% | 38% | 17,021 | 6,244 | 37% |
| Nurse Anesthetists | 41,787 | 66% | 34% | 5,387 | 1,968 | 37% |
| Physician Assistants | 106,650 | 65% | 35% | 21,708 | 7,906 | 36% |
| PR Specialists | 241,912 | 63% | 37% | 28,331 | 10,147 | 36% |