Gender roles in Europe more deep-rooted than expected

Maciamo

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Looking at the Top 100 professions by gender in Belgium for 2004 (Excel file), I noticed that many jobs were still heavily destined for one particular sex, despite Belgium is considered as a very equal society for men and women in terms of opportunities (more female ministers than male ones !) and salaries.

For example, 99.8% of house cleaners are women, and so are 99.1% of preschool teachers, 96.2% of executive secretaries, 92.4% of secretaries and 88.7% of nurses.

The same is true the other way round. 100% of roofers, 99.8% of masons, 99.3% of construction workers, 98.9% of plumbers, 98.1% of mecanicians, 96.9% of vehicle drivers (except bus), 96.9% of carpenters, 96.8% of painters, 96.7% of industry workers, 96.1% of dockers, 96% of electricians, 94.3% of material handling drivers, 94.3% of career soldiers, 91.2% of electromecanicians, 90.9% of horticulturists, 89.6% of bus drivers, 89.1% of butchers, 87.6% of police officers, 83.8% of cattle slaughterer are men.

So whatever feminists say, there are still jobs for men and jobs for women, and it does not seem to change with time. I think it is normal as men and women are different and have different abilities and sensitivities.

However, we see that it is mainly for manual and social jobs that the divide is the greatest. Men hold almost all the construction-related, driving-related, physical or potentialy violent jobs, while women do most of the "caring" and relation-oriented jobs.

The most "unisex" jobs are accountant (just "50-50"), chef cook (52.9% of women), sales manager (53.5% of men), lawyers (53.6% of men), senior civil servant (56.3% of men), office worker (57.1% of men), finance & insurance employees (57.5% of women), office cleaners (57.8% of women), masseurs or kinesitherapeutists (58.4% of women), hotel-restaurant-cafe staff (59.5% of men).
 

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