Pink collar jobs are traditionally reserved for women and are typically low-paid, low-prestige jobs in clean environments without hazards or hard physical labor. Women historically earned less than men, and many still work in predominantly female fields such as teaching and nursing. However, the line between pink collar and white-collar jobs has become blurred, and it is no longer acceptable to advertise jobs as only for men or women. Examples of pink collar jobs include babysitters, receptionists, and cosmetologists.
A pink collar job is traditionally reserved for women only. Most of these jobs are done in a clean environment, without exposure to hazards and without requiring hard physical labor. The divide between a pink-collar and white-collar job is primarily one of gender.
Until the beginning of the century, women faced difficulties in entering the workforce and, when they did, it was mainly by hiring low-paid and low-prestige jobs. For example, a woman could be a secretary, but the idea of that woman becoming an office manager was unknown. A pink collar job has become the easiest way to label all jobs done primarily by women before the 1970s. While women’s liberation has done a lot to combat these stereotypes, some jobs are still predominantly female, such as teaching, labor office, child care and nursing.
One of the main objections to holding a pink collar job is the generally low salary. Historically, women have always earned less than men, and the fact that many continue to work in fields considered primarily “women only” continues the trend. Women working in nontraditional jobs often earn more, perhaps because competition with men requires them to hold themselves to a higher standard. Twice as many women are now holding CEO roles at top Fortune 500 companies compared to not many years ago, yet 70% of these women have jobs in pink collar industries such as food service and the cosmetics industry.
Over the last few decades, the line separating a pink collar job from the standard office position has become blurred and it is no longer cool to advertise a position asking only for female or male workers. Traditions still prevail, however, and the following are some examples of jobs that are still considered pink collar: babysitter, nanny, receptionist, florist, tutor, cosmetologist, telephone operator and maid. The majority of “pink” jobs are in the service sector, and that includes waitressing, traditionally a female-only job, although that has changed a lot in the last decade. Other examples that are slowly including more men in their ranks include nursing and teaching, especially at the highest levels.
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