There are white-collar jobs and blue-collar jobs, but there are also pink-collar jobs (aka: jobs predominantly held by women). This lesser-known concept arose during World War II when millions of women entered the workforce and filled the jobs many men left behind. Certain jobs, like nurses, midwives, telephone operators, and secretaries, were dominated by women.
Fundera explored how these so-called pink collar jobs have changed since the 1940s. They looked at U.S. Census data from the 1940s and compared it with 2019 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to determine the biggest shifts in pink collar jobs.
Jobs with significant decreases in the percentage of women include nurses, tobacco manufacturers, and musicians. Meanwhile, doctors, lawyers, real estate agents, and housekeepers have seen significant increases in the percentage of women. Teachers and secretaries haven’t seen much of a change in the percentage of women in the eight decades since the beginning of WWII.
The numbers show that more men will soon work in pink collar jobs as the industries traditionally dominated by men continue to shrink. To prepare for that, there are a number of ways that companies should tamp down on gender bias and help women overcome barriers that prevent them from achieving success.
About the Author
Meredith Wood is a Vice President at Fundera. She is frequently sought out for her expertise in small business lending and frequently contributes to SBA, SCORE, Yahoo, Amex OPEN Forum, Fox Business, American Banker, Small Business Trends, MyCorporation, Small Biz Daily, and StartupNation.
