Benefits & Challenges

Careers that are non-traditional for one of the genders often experience a labor shortage, so there is high demand for skilled employees in those occupations. Furthermore, research shows that individuals who choose career paths based on their abilities and interests experience greater job satisfaction. It is important for men, as well as women, to choose careers that they find rewarding and interesting. Effective career planning means considering all of your options before choosing a career path.

In addition, often, non-traditional careers have greater financial rewards than traditional careers.  Salaries, advancement opportunities and benefits for non-traditional careers may also be better.  In particular, this is often true for careers considered nontraditional for women because jobs traditionally held by men (i.e. construction jobs) pay better than jobs traditionally held by women (i.e. secretarial).

Choosing a non-traditional career offers a number of benefits.

• Job Satisfaction. Research shows that individuals who choose careers based on their interests and abilities rather than on gender stereotypes experience greater job satisfaction.
• Higher Salaries and Better Benefits. Non-traditional careers often offer salaries that are 20 to 30 percent higher than salaries for traditional careers, in particular for women. Nontraditional careers also often offer better health and retirement benefits.
• Better Advancement Opportunities/Established Career Ladders. Non-traditional careers are often unionized and/or have established career ladders so that employees can work their way up to even higher salaries and better benefits.
• Variety. There are a wide variety of careers available. Career searches should not be limited! Considering non-traditional careers provides a greater variety of career opportunities.
• Opportunities to Learn. Work and skills needed for nontraditional employment may be unfamiliar. Non-traditional careers offer the opportunity to learn new information and skills, sometimes while you work.

Non-traditional careers may also pose challenges.

• Discrimination and/or harassment. Discrimination and sexual harassment are against the law and employers can be held liable if these acts occur.
• Sense of isolation if you are the only or one of few of your gender at your workplace. It is true particularly when a job is new, that a sense of isolation or not "fitting in" may exist for employees who do not have coworkers of the same gender at their worksite. However, this sense of isolation often decreases fairly quickly as non-traditional employees become familiar with their coworkers and their coworkers become familiar with them.
• Work and skills needed might be unfamiliar. Unfortunately, it is common that exposure to the skills needed for non-traditional work is very limited. However, skills can be learned through training and practice.
• Internal challenges including gender role conflicts, fear of failure and/or lack of self-confidence. What we tell ourselves and what others have told us has a dramatic impact on what we think we can do. Non-traditional employment might be the perfect fit! Is what you are telling yourself talking you out of considering the benefits of nontraditional careers?