The term “pink collar” refers to traditionally female dominated careers, typically associated with care-oriented specialties like teaching, nursing, social work, etc. Despite an evolving labor force with less stringent social norms, which has prompted more men to pursue these roles, the stagnant attitude for these jobs yields little room for growth in pay, status, or job advancement.
These nuances begin as early as childhood hobbies alongside the cognization of gender roles, and many of their iterations are apparent in college majors. With fields like psychology and nursing having already been labeled “feminine” majors, once male dominated stem concentrations like biology and chemistry are experiencing a shift in gender demographic. Despite these sciences being arguably some of the most difficult, this supposed feminization has altered their perception and perhaps even respect, entitling them “soft sciences.”
This comes as little surprise; the theme is representative of the public’s ridicule towards women’s interests, from things as small as boy bands and the color pink to entire careers.
I’ve been fixed on healthcare for as long as I can remember, and during the process of deciding between so many disciplines, I considered nursing. I can recall the number of times I was warned against this and all the redundant comments I received, the most disappointing coming from my parents. Their warnings were predictable: how low the pay would be, how overworked, and how I would be looked down upon by doctors. They were correct in some ways; the pay is far disproportionate to the labor, which is often overlooked by the doctors.
On the other hand, blue collar jobs scarcely seek to hire women, and they are frequently disregarded in the white collar ones. This is most evident in engineering, an industry where the term “male dominated” doesn’t begin to cover the statistics. Beyond the usual, women are subject to ongoing hostility and invalidation of competency.
A justification for these attitudes and pay disparity is that pink collar jobs are less labor-intensive, and while this can be true, it does not undermine their value. What is society without educators or social workers? How would a hospital operate without the tireless work of nurses? Not to mention, these jobs are followed by more domestic work.
Beyond societal expectations and roles, systemic issues like these are exceedingly hard to dismantle. As we approach March, which is widely acknowledged as International Women’s Month, it’s crucial to recognize women’s contributions in the workplace and ways to advocate against these inequities. This could begin with steering away from traditional gender roles which push us towards certain professions and away from others, voting for legislators whose campaigns align with these goals, and providing comprehensive access to education. This does not only benefit women; these efforts address a persisting crisis in employment and input towards a collective goal.
There has been much progress in the last few decades, but the diversification of the workforce has a long way to go.