Bloomberg: For More Money, Women Need to Aim for Welding and Mechanics Jobs
Women would earn more and narrow the gender pay gap if they got jobs now dominated by men in fast-growing fields such as information technology, welding or truck mechanics, according to a new study by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research.
The study, which examined 473 occupations, found women in only about one-third of so-called middle-skill positions that pay at least $35,000 a year, even though they dominate in the category. About 80 percent of those women make less than $30,000 a year. Middle-skill jobs typically require some training after high school but no college degree.
“Women are being excluded from higher-paying middle-skill jobs where they’d have a chance to earn a living wage,” said Ariane Hegewisch, IWPR’s program director for employment and earnings and the lead author of the study. “Yet employers lack enough qualified workers to fill demand for some of these fast-growing better jobs.”