Why Women Should Do “Men’s” Jobs女人为啥该干“男人”的活儿

杜磊译

Pink versus blue. Skirts versus trousers. Netball versus basketball. Do you ever think the divisions between girls and boys are a bit silly？ 粉色對蓝色，裙子对裤子，无挡板篮球对篮球。你有没有想过这样区分女孩和男孩其实有点儿蠢？

If youve started thinking about your career， youll probably have noticed that the same things happens in the workplace. There are certain jobs youre just not supposed to do if youre a girl. And thats just the way things are， right？

Wrong！ A lot is happening today to get women into male-dominated areas of work. This International Womens Day， we look at four areas of work where things are tough for women right now—but where change is happening. We also look at why we need women in all areas of work. And dont miss our key resources to help you begin your way along that career path.

Science and research

The situation today

Have you heard of STEM？ STEM means science， technology， engineering and maths. It covers a whole range of jobs， from scientists who research cures for diseases， to engineers who design things like buildings， roads and bridges. These jobs are highly skilled， important for scientific progress， and help us make money as a country. Theyre also very rewarding for the people who do them.

But of every eight people in a STEM job， only one is a woman. And this is hardly surprising. Go all the way back to A-level1， and youll find that of all the STEM subjects， only biology has more female students than male.

Why we need more women in science

Designers and engineers create things we all use， whether male or female. Because most things are designed by men， studies suggest that some offices are too cold for women， seatbelts are less safe for them， and tools are harder for women to use.

The lack of women in STEM jobs is also becoming a national problem. The government is worried there simply wont be enough scientists and engineers in the future. This could affect the whole economy because， as a country， we can sell our technology and skills to other countries. STEM jobs also create more work further down the line， such as for construction workers who build roads and bridges.

The police

The situation today

In March 2015， the percentage of female police officers stood at 28%. This compares with 22% nine years earlier in 2006. And the percentage has not always risen over this period. In fact， it peaked in 2010 before falling， before flatlining over the next three years.

Its not just a numbers problem. Women often face sexism from male colleagues， from name-calling to sexual harrassment. And because men outnumber women so dramatically， women are often in the minority， leaving them at risk when abuse takes place.

Why we need more women in the police force

The police are there for the whole community—and that includes women！ When women experience crime like abuse by their partners， rape or anything else that is very personal， they dont always feel comfortable talking to a man. If women police officers arent available to talk to， this might mean they dont come forward at all.

Because crime is often to do with sex， or violence by men against women， a woman police officer might be more understanding or more approachable. Studies also suggest that women tend to trust other women more than men.

Women can also be more understanding. Often， when a person comes forward to report an incident， such as a problem at home or an issue with nuisance neighbours， it can seem trivial to others even if its a cause of major upset for the victim. Women are often better at listening and at understanding other peoples problems， while men are more likely to be dismissive.

The law

The situation today

Actually， more women study law at university than men. In 2014， nearly a third of students accepted onto a law degree were female， and nearly half of all working solicitors were women.

The problem is not that theres big difference in the number of men and women working in the law. Its that the higher up you go， the less likely you are to see women in the top jobs.

When researchers surveyed over 100 law firms in 2014， they found that only two employed as many as women as men as “partners”—that is， senior managers who own part of the business. And in only five firms did women make up more than a third of partners.

If you look at the countrys law courts， you see a similar story. Only around a quarter of judges are women， while in the UKs highest court—the Supreme Court—only one of the 12 judges is female.

This means that as it stands， although there are likely to be plenty of other women around you at university and work， youre less likely to be promoted into a high-up job as a woman in the legal profession.

Why we need more women in the law

Lawyers deal with a lot of people. This includes the people they are representing， other lawyers， and judges. That makes soft skills such as the ability to communicate， persuade and negotiate， one of their most valuable assets. They also need to be understanding and see other points of view.

These are skills which women tend to have more than men—yet the higher up the legal system you go， the harder they are to find.

Finance

The situation today

Youve heard of the City2？ “Financial services” is all about making money from money by investing it in companies that are expected to rise in value. Financial services has a reputation for being a bit of a boys club. As in the legal world， the problem gets worse the higher up you go.

Whats more， the industry is lagging behind others in hiring more women， and conditions are much worse than for men. For women in the industry， average pay is half that of men， and bonuses （one-off rewards made when you perform well） are much lower as well. Women know about this， and it is putting them off going into the industry.

Why we need more women in finance

Financial services is often painted as full of testosterone， with boys competing with each other to make as much money as they can as quickly as they can. This certainly isnt a fair picture of the industry—but things could certainly be improved with more women on board.

Women are often less competitive than men， more level-headed and more responsible. Studies have shown that women are better with money than men at a household level， being less likely to take on debt or splash out unnecessarily. An industry based around financial decisions could certainly benefit from more of this！

This is reflected in the facts. Repeated studies show that the firms with most women on their boards made over a third more money.

Dont let your gender hold you back！

There may be a long way to go in all of these areas of work. But a lot has changed in recent years， and as more girls go into these careers， the fairer things will become. So if youre passionate， dont let your gender hold you back！

如果你开始考虑你的职业，可能会注意到工作场合也会发生同样的情况。如果你是个女孩子，有些工作就不是你该做的。反正事情本来就这样，对吧？

不对！如今很多事情都在发生变化，女性开始进入男性主导的工作领域。值此国际妇女节，我们来看看目前女性处境艰难但却正在发生变化的四个工作领域。我们还要了解一下所有工作领域都需要女性的原因。千万不要错过我们提供的重要信息，它们有助于你开启职业之途。

科研界

現状

你听说过STEM吗？STEM是指科学、技术、工程和数学。它涵盖了一系列工作，从研究疾病治疗方法的科学家到设计建筑物、道路和桥梁等的工程师。这些工作对技能要求很高，对科学进步很重要，也有助于国家创收，对于从事这类工作的人回报也很高。

但是，每8个从事STEM类工作的人中，女性只占1个。这一点并不奇怪。回过头看看A-level课程，你会发现所有STEM科目中，只有生物学一门念的女生比男生多。

为什么我们需要更多女性从事科学工作

设计师和工程师设计制造了我们所有人都使用的东西，不管使用者是男还是女。研究表明，由于大多数东西是男性设计的，导致对女性来说，有些办公环境温度过低，安全带不那么安全，工具则难于使用。

妇女在STEM工作中的缺席也成为了一个全国性的问题。政府担心的是科学家和工程师在未来根本不够用，这可能会影响到整个经济，因为我们可以国家名义向其他国家出售我们的技术和技能。STEM还会创造更多下游的工作机会，例如修路造桥的建筑工人。

警界

现状

2015年3月，女警官的比例为28%。相比9年前的2006年，这项指标为22%。这一比例在这段时间内并不一直是上升的。事实上，它在2010年达到顶峰，之后开始下降，接下来的3年则趋于平稳。

这不仅仅是个数字问题。女性经常面临来自男性同事从辱骂到性骚扰的各类性别歧视。而且，由于男性数量远超女性，女性常常属于少数人群，令她们成为受虐的一方。

为什么我们需要更多女性加入警察队伍

警察为整个社会服务——包括女性！当女性遭遇侵犯时，例如被伴侣虐待、强奸或其他非常隐私的事情，她们和男性警员沟通起来总会感到不方便。如果没有女警员可以沟通，女性受害者可能根本就不会站出来报案。

因为犯罪往往与性或男性对女性的暴力有关，女警官可能更能理解受害者或更平易近人。研究还表明，女性更倾向于信任同性。

女性还更能理解他人。通常，当一个人站出来报案，比如家里有麻烦或与邻居产生纠纷，这在别人看来可能微不足道，但却给当事人造成了很大的困扰。这时候，女性往往更善于倾听和理解他人的问题，而男性则更容易对此不屑一顾。

法律界

现状

实际上，在大学里学习法律的女性比男性多。2014年，授予法律学位的学生中，近三分之一是女性，所有职业律师中近一半是女性。

问题并不是说在法律界工作的男女人数有多大差别，而是越往上，就越不可能看到女性担任高层职务。

2014年，研究人员对100多家律师事务所进行了调查，他们发现只有2家律师事务所的“合伙人”（即拥有事务所部分所有权的高级管理人员）中男女人数持平，只有5家的合伙人中女性占三分之一以上。

如果再观察一下国家的法院，会发现情况大同小异。只有大约四分之一的法官是女性，而在英国最高司法机关英国最高法院的12名法官中，女性只有1名。

这意味着，从目前情况看，尽管在大学和职场，你周围可能有很多其他女性，但身为女性，不太可能被提升到业界高职位。

为什么我们需要更多女性从事法律工作

律师要和很多人打交道，包括其代理人、其他律师和法官。这使得诸如沟通、说服和谈判等软技能成为他们最有价值的资本之一。他们还需善解人意，广纳其他观点。

这些方面，女性往往比男性技高一筹——然而，法律体系中，位置越高，她们的身影就越难找得到。

金融界

現状

听说过伦敦金融圈吧？“金融服务”就是把钱投资到那些有望升值的公司，从中生钱。金融服务业向来就有那么点儿男子俱乐部的名声。就像在法律界一样，越往上走，问题越严重。

而且，这个行业在雇用更多女性方面落后于其他行业，给女性开出的条件比男性要差得多。这个行业的女性拿到的平均工资是男性的一半，奖金（表现出色时获得的一次性奖励）也要低得多。女性很明白这一点，所以她们失去了进入该行业的兴趣。

为什么我们需要更多女性从事金融工作

金融服务业常常被描绘为充满睾丸素的行业，男性互相竞争，竭尽全力以最快速度赚到最多的钱。当然，这种行业状况并不合理——但是，随着更多女性的加盟，情况必会有所改善。

与男性相比，女性常常没那么好胜，但头脑更冷静，责任心更强。研究已表明，在一家之中，女性处理财务比男性更得心应手，不太可能让家庭债台高筑或挥霍无度。一个以财务决策为基础的行业肯定会从中受益更多！

这是得到事实印证的。多项研究一再表明，董事会中女性占多数的公司赚的钱要多出三分之一。

别让你的性别阻碍你！

以上这些工作领域可能都有很长的路要走。但是，最近几年发生了很多变化，并且随着越来越多的女孩子从事这些职业，情况也会变得越来越公平。所以，如果你有激情，可不要让你的性别阻碍了你！  □

（译者单位：浙江大学）