WOMEN'S & MEN'S WORK - WILL THEY EVER BE THE SAME?
The following excerpt is from the self help
psychology book, Be Your Own Therapist.
Of course there should be equal pay for equal work. Of course
any qualified person should be seriously considered for any
position. Also, there are obviously many women who enjoy
nonverbal physical jobs and many men who are most comfortable in
verbally-oriented tasks. Society needs to accept and provide
equal opportunities for such choices. But I think the statistics
will be forever unequal, even if we come to a society with no
sexism. For the evidence seems clear that men and women usually
do emphasize different sides of the brain (see previous
chapter). This automatically will lead the majority of men and
women to different choices in work. Ideally, our work should be
what interests us the most and also what we do best.
| Life for both sexes is arduous, difficult, a perpetual struggle. It calls for gigantic courage and strength..... Virginia Wolff
|
I doubt that equal male-female representation in any job
category is either likely or desirable. In a previous chapter, I
described how a typical girl is verbal and a typical boy is
nonverbal (usually physically oriented). Does this continue to
adulthood? Yes! What do we get but clusters of women in such
verbal occupations as secretary, file clerk, and telephone
operator? Meanwhile, men have clustered in nonverbal/ physical
occupations such as tool operators, craftspeople and
firefighters? Such clustering may have causes other than sexism.
One feminist response to such clustering would be to blame it
on sexism and to also blame these paragraphs on male backlash.
However, if the average woman naturally places more emphasis
(than the average man does) on left brain activities such as
sorting, details, and verbal activities, then any goal that
tries to equalize male and female representation in the above
job clusters is doomed. The average woman will be happier
following her verbal left brain strengths and passions than
following the more nonverbal physical route preferred by the
average man.
The implications are many. A majority of women in a non-sexist
society would probably gravitate toward being administrators,
bankers, judges and accountants, also their traditional
occupations such as secretaries, clerks and telephone operators.
A majority of men in such a society would probably gravitate
toward spatial and physical work as happens today. Many CEO
jobs, which typically demand both styles of thinking, might well
be filled by those with strong abilities on both sides of the
brain.
Next Excerpt 
| Because women and men favor different sides of the brain, it is not desirable that equal numbers of each sex be in most job categories. Equal opportunity, however, is HIGHLY desirable.
|
More Excerpts This Chapter
WORK: DOING WHAT YOU LOVE
THAT IMPOSSIBLE BOSS/ COMMITTEE
JOB STRESS
WOMEN'S & MEN'S WORK - WILL THEY EVER BE THE SAME?
GENDER DISCRIMINATION IN THE WORKPLACE
THE GLASS CEILING
COMPETITION: WHAT WE LEARNED
COMPETITION: GOOD OR BAD?
JOB DO'S
This Chapter's Quiz
Book Table of Contents
Psychology of Sex Education - Psychological Sexual Health Care
Self Help Free Read - Book Online
WOMEN'S & MEN'S WORK - WILL THEY EVER BE THE SAME? © 1995-99