Women are often channeled into non-leadership administrative positions such as counselors and personnel managers (Sadker and Sadker, p. 67). In this way, schools become an early organization in which children are not exposed to female leaders. Famed educational theorist Horace Mann wanted to match women’s gentle manners, rather than the severity of male teachers, with innocent children. It was only after a child’s mind had become tough that it should be subject to the “firm grasp of the masculine hand” of society at age twenty-one (Grumet, p. 55). The “cult of true womanhood” encouraged women to be self-sacrificing, moral, and to care for children. Society in the late 1800s both distanced mother from child and created the cult of motherhood.
Pink or velvet ghetto in the field of public relations
Today, the line separating male- and female-oriented jobs is blurred because gender barriers have progressively weakened in recent years. This could be due to societal expectations, cultural norms, and structural barriers contributing to the disproportionate representation of women in pink collar jobs. Most education during the colonial period was given informally in family homes by parents and businesses as apprenticeships. Churches operated schools for the poor as charity and for moral and Christian instruction. Upper- and middle-class families hired tutors or paid to send their children to schools run by individual schoolmasters. The families paying for education expected teachers to “represent a social background and value system similar to their own” (Rury, p. 12), and most of the students were white and male.
Understanding Pink Collar Work
By fostering a culture of continuous learning, promoting diversity, ensuring fair compensation, and creating supportive work environments, we can bridge the gender gap and advance careers in pink collar fields. The future of pink collar work is promising and evolving, reflecting our society’s continuous progress towards gender equality. Providing performance information and showing balanced gender representation in job roles can encourage more male candidates to enter traditionally female-dominated pink collar jobs.
Education field
“Several scholars have suggested that the prevalence of women in teaching has contributed to pressure to strengthen bureaucratic controls over teacher behavior and to “deskill” the profession” (Sedlak and Schlossman, p. 28). The negative view of women meant that professions with women were viewed as less deserving of esteem. Teaching became formalized, and the percentage of women increased from 1850 to 1900. Schooling in the more urban North was more formalized, with more female teachers and sharp pay differences between men and women.
- Teachers in early childhood and elementary grades are responsible for providing fundamental instruction, designing lesson plans, grading homework, and closely working with students to ensure their understanding.
- Women still hold few jobs with administrative power, and are overrepresented in early education.
- Throughout this time, women, particularly young, unmarried women, were considered the guardians of religious virtue, civilizing and bringing to God those around them.
- Teachers were supposed to set desirable moral and behavioral examples for their students.
Opportunities for training and development can significantly improve skills and bolster the confidence of pink collar workers in their roles, contributing to greater job satisfaction. Female teachers were compelled to do the “dirty work” for a society that did not respect them or allow them to make decisions. Women established in the minds of children new, non-nurturance-based goals for success that favor males.
Teaching has never been a high-prestige career in America, and the entrance of women perpetuated its lower status. It was first an occupation undertaken by young men who planned on professional careers or needed extra income jobs that have been feminized, such as teaching or secretarial work, are also referred to as during non-farming months of the year. “In a society which was permeated with sexist conventions about success, the identification of teaching with women often meant that teachers were held in low esteem” (Rury, p. 10).
“In 1888, an investigator reporting to the Association for the Advancement of women declared that, whereas 67% of the teachers in the country were women, only 4 percent of those with administrative responsibility were women” (Grumet, p. 38). Distinct from both blue and white collar jobs, pink collar roles commonly integrate basic skills with a considerable emphasis on interpersonal interaction. They typically require a lower level of formal education or technical expertise compared to blue- and white-collar jobs.
The results of the feminization of teaching were significant for both teachers and the teaching profession. “No single subject is more central to the history of the teaching profession than the changing role of women in American society” (Sedlak and Schlossman, p. 28). Teaching was a relatively low-status profession early in America’s history, and young women’s entrance into the profession secured its low prestige.
In the late 1700s, the estimate of women’s literacy was at about 45% (Strober and Lanford, p. 216). Prior to women’s entry into the teaching profession, the public began to view women’s basic education as worthwhile, largely so that they could pass religion and moral values on to their children. In the digital age, tools like Textio aid in the creation of inclusive job descriptions that are appealing to a diverse range of applicants, thereby enhancing workforce diversity. By paying careful attention to language, employers can ensure their job descriptions are welcoming to all potential candidates. ’ and realistic job portrayals as done by the UK’s National Health Service are essential in breaking down stereotypes and encouraging a diversified pink-collar workforce.