New CareerBuilder Research Shows Women Have Taken a Significant Share of New Jobs for Male-Dominated Occupations and Vice Versa

Staff Report

Tuesday, July 18th, 2017

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 percent) of new jobs added in male-dominated occupations from 2009 to 2017 were taken by women. As it stands today, 23 percent 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 and producers and directors.

On the flip side, 30 percent of new jobs added in female-dominated occupations from 2009 to 2017 were taken by men. Today, 27 percent 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," said 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 Gaining Ground in Male-Dominated Occupations from 2009 to 2017

According to CareerBuilder's analysis, more women are moving into leadership roles as well as occupations tied to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Of the 12,385 new chief executive jobs that were added from 2009 to 2017, women accounted for 28 percent 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

Total No. of Jobs  2017

% of Women Employed 2017

% of Men Employed 2017

Jobs Added 2009-2017

Increase in No. of Women Employed 2009 - 2017

% of Women in New Jobs Added 2009-2017

Lawyers

631,899

38%

62%

31,815

15,247

48%

Veterinarians

70,935

46%

54%

12,540

5,974

48%

Commercial and 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%

Management Analysts

662,722

45%

55%

96,446

41,030

43%

Sales Managers

382,032

41%

59%

40,307

17,345

43%

Producers and Directors

112,907

41%

59%

18,671

7,813

42%

Chemists

87,746

39%

61%

6,132

2,583

42%

Coaches and Scouts

234,742

38%

62%

25,764

10,480

41%

Private Detectives and Investigators

32,667

42%

58%

3,896

1,603

41%

Emergency Medical Technicians and 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 and 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%

Chief Executives

255,916

24%

76%

12,385

3,518

28%

Men Gaining Ground in Female-Dominated Occupations from 2009 to 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

Total No. of Jobs  2017

% of Women Employed 2017

% of Men Employed 2017

Jobs Added 2009-2017

Increase in No. of Men Employed 2009 - 2017

% of Men in New Jobs Added 2009-2017

Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria

436, 096

61%

39%

29,235

18,686

64%

Merchandise Displayers and 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 and Marketing Specialists

550,900

57%

43%

109,749

46,044

42%

Accountants and 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 and Aerobics Instructors

262,807

59%

41%

38,533

15,236

40%

Telemarketers

235,733

62%

38%

18,191

7,272

40%

Training and Development Specialists

270,406

60%

40%

31,602

12,249

39%

Respiratory Therapists

127,057

63%

37%

12,035

4,430

37%

Human Resources 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%

Public Relations Specialists

241,912

63%

37%

28,331

10,147

36%