25 The Next Step for Feminism: Men in HEAL

The “Women in STEM” movement has made great strides toward workplace equality, and “Men in HEAL” can carry forward the next generation of feminism.

This essay was composed in December 2024 and uses MLA documentation.

Since 1970, American women have more than tripled their participation in STEM, but over the same period, men have steadily exited HEAL occupations (Martinez; Reeves). Modern healthcare, education, administration, and literacy (HEAL) positions often have poor job status, pay, and severe labor shortages. However, HEAL is expected to grow substantially in the coming decade, nearly guaranteeing job security. Why are men not running to such an in-demand field? Sociologist Andrew Cherlin explains in The New York Times that conceptions of traditional masculine traits prevent men from entering HEAL careers. A sex-based barrier is keeping America from meeting its population’s needs while perpetuating such issues as the gender pay gap. Thus, a social movement inviting men to participate in HEAL sectors is necessary to strengthen America’s economic future and further the feminist movement.

Traditional masculinity is misaligned with HEAL careers in a variety of ways. For instance, most positions are both low-paying and low-prestige – a trait that competitive and domineering aspects of masculinity conflict with. The widespread inferior standing of occupations that don’t align with masculinity suggests institutional sexism (Macionis). Another example of institutional sexism is the prevalent devaluation of women’s work, or the devaluation of femininity. Longitudinal data reveals that an increase in the share of women in a specific field correlates directly with the field becoming less valued. Specifically, for every 10% increase in the share of women, there is an associated 0.5% to 5% decrease in hourly wage (Levanon). The endurance of gendered stereotypes will allow issues like labor devaluation to continue which further prevents men from entering HEAL occupations.

When men do join HEAL careers, they have a surprisingly high chance of leaving promptly and becoming part of the stopgapping phenomenon. Their leaving is sparked by feelings of otherness and discomfort, especially in low-prestige positions. This pattern of flight is called stopgapping. A failure to retain employees over time stands in the way of diversity initiatives, with data often only reporting the number of individuals entering a field, not those who remained five to ten years later – falsely confirming a successful movement. Margartia Torre introduces the term stopgapping “to describe the mobility pattern of men who enter female-dominated occupations but leave after a short time.” While stopgapping happens for women in STEM, the low status of most HEAL occupations intensifies the pattern of men leaving HEAL, as there are not enough incentives to stay (Torre). In addition, the low participation of men keeps the status of the job low, feeding into the cyclical nature of institutional sexism.

However, as with most American sexism, the benefits ultimately go to men. Men who remain in female-led occupations will likely benefit from the glass escalator effect. Named as the opposite of the glass ceiling, researchers Janette Dill, Kim Price-Glynn, and Carter Rakovski describe the glass escalator as carrying men to superior pay, promotions, and social support by profiting off the expectations of masculinity. In female-dominated fields like nursing, the glass escalator influences the average salary of registered male nurses, where a woman makes 87 cents for every man’s dollar (Monti). As an institutional issue, the glass escalator works to keep women away from positions they qualify for and prevents a workplace competitiveness that encourages fair wages. In addition, it preserves the association between masculinity and leadership, keeping the two concepts fused.

Stopgapping and the glass escalator are both by-products of America’s expectations of masculinity. Harvard economist Lawrence Katz believes men avoid HEAL occupations not for a lack of skill, but an “identity mismatch” (Miller). American society has an unspoken expectation on how to perform gender, and when an individual does not perform their gender role well, there is a dissonance that makes both society and the individual uncomfortable. Society’s fix to the discomfort of a caring masculinity is placing it into leadership positions with high prestige – the glass escalator. An individual’s discomfort with masculinity in caregiving roles may result in leaving the position early and becoming a stopgapper. Avoiding stopgapping requires an individual to either embrace their differences – which men often use to command authority – or assimilate and find a new way to situate themselves within masculinity (Pullen). A “Men in HEAL” movement would render either of these strategies unnecessary by creating a place for men to be where they are not othered, and instead an unremarkable part of the workplace.

“Men in HEAL” would not just benefit men but would spark valuable change for the feminist movement and society. As noted earlier, if women’s participation in a job devalues the labor, more men within a field would drive a wage correction and elevate the status of workers in HEAL. Widespread male participation would also combat stopgapping and gendered stereotypes, creating a cyclical success story as increased men in HEAL increases social comfort, which increases participation, and so on. Diversity also improves outcomes. Research in Northern Europe found young students with a balanced share of men and women as teachers outshone similar students in both language learning and mathematic skills (Haines). The systems that inhibit men from entering HEAL also inhibit half of America’s population from contributing to our most foundational systems of caregiving, education, and the arts.

With careful planning, a “Men in HEAL” movement would achieve the most success by incorporating two crucial characteristics; financial incentives and cultural shifts. First, sufficient financial incentive is essential to draw enough men to HEAL. Currently, numerous programs are investing millions into women’s participation and retention in STEM fields, and while STEM is worth investing in, the HEAL job market is growing significantly faster. Between now and 2030, there will be three times the number of new jobs in HEAL as in STEM (Reeves). The financial incentive to join a HEAL career must come from multiple levels, including scholarships from private organizations, educational institutions, and the government. Beyond training men to go into HEAL careers, employers must maintain competitive pay and abundant career advancement opportunities to assure a livable wage, create prestige, and keep stopgapping from being a viable option.

Second, it falls on employers to create a cultural shift within their businesses. When gender bias exists on a large scale, it is not because several individuals are sexist, but because of biased processes that influence decision-making – institutional sexism. For example, a school district that has hiring guidelines that discriminate against male early education workers exhibits institutional sexism (Haines). Building company values that compel all levels of management to engage with fair decision-making processes overcomes systemic barriers preventing men’s equal participation in female-dominated fields. In practice, this includes increased training for management focused on maximizing the voice of male professionals without giving in to the glass escalator effect. Another option companies may utilize is a mentoring program, which gives junior employees a role model and the first step towards a workplace community.

Ultimately, the responsibility to create change that benefits both men and women, addresses America’s labor needs, and avoids perpetuating harmful systems of gendered division falls on many shoulders. Dr. Tasha Iglesias from Utah State University’s Center for Intersectional Gender Studies and Research notes that successful diversity initiatives must make incoming individuals feel strongly welcomed – a goal that requires contribution from all parties and advocates from all perspectives. For “Men in HEAL” to succeed, people must demand wage transparency at work, discuss what a caring masculinity looks like, and connect with people regardless of how “well” they are performing gender. The “Women in STEM” movement has made great strides toward workplace equality, and “Men in HEAL” can carry forward the next generation of feminism. Just as our great-grandmothers fought for an America where today’s women cannot imagine being denied the right to vote, we now need to fight with the great-grandfathers of men who cannot imagine being demeaned for pursuing caregiving careers.

Works Cited

Dill, Janette S., et al. “DOES THE ‘GLASS ESCALATOR’ COMPENSATE FOR THE DEVALUATION OF CARE WORK OCCUPATIONS? The Careers of Men in Low- and Middle-Skill Health Care Jobs.” Gender and Society, vol. 30, no. 2, 2016, pp. 334–60. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24756204. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.

Haines, Serena, et al. “Creating a system that cares: A PRISMA review and road map to increase men’s representation in early childhood education and care.” Psychology of Men & Masculinities, vol. 25, no. 4, 2024, pp. 451-465. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/docview/3095699525/98FE21E797BC48A9PQ/9?accountid=14761&sourcetype=Scholarly%20Journals. Accessed 7 Dec. 2024.

Iglesias, Tasha. Personal Interview. 13 Nov. 2024.

Levanon, et al. “Occupational Feminization and Pay: Assessing Causal Dynamics Using 1950-2000 U.S. Census Data.” Social Forces, vol. 88, no. 2, 2009, pp. 865-891. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/docview/229875826?accountid=14761&parentSessionId=uSnrHo%2B14%2FaumdcqsGof85rN5DLfrO0FGEPK7TdJAl4%3D&sourcetype=Scholarly%20Journals. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.

Macionis, John J. Society: The Basics. 6th ed., Pearson, 2008.

Martinez, Anthony and Cheridan Christnacht. “Women are Nearly Half of U.S. Workforce but Only 27% of STEM Workers.” United States Census Bureau. 26 Jan. 2021. https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2021/01/women-making-gains-in-stem-occupations-but-still-underrepresented.html. Accessed 8 Dec. 2024.

Miller, Claire. “Why Men Don’t Want the Jobs Done Mostly by Women.” The New York Times. 5 Jan. 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/04/upshot/why-men-dont-want-the-jobs-done-mostly-by-women.html?searchResultPosition=1. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.

Monti, Janice. “The Gender Pay Gap in Nursing.” Nurse Journal, edited by Maggie Holland, 25 Oct. 2024. https://nursejournal.org/resources/the-gender-pay-gap-in-nursing/. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.

Pullen, Alison and Ruth Simpson. “Managing difference in feminized work: Men, otherness and social practice.” Human Relations, vol. 62, no. 4, 2009, pp. 561-587. Sage Journals, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/epdf/10.1177/0018726708101989. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.

Reeves, Richard. “Why America Needs More Men Working in Health Care and Education.” TIME. 19 Oct. 2022. https://time.com/6222798/america-needs-more-men-working-in-health-care-and-education/. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.

Torre, Margarita. “Stopgappers? The Occupational Trajectories of Men in Female-Dominated Occupations.” Work and Occupations, vol. 45, no. 3, 2018, pp. 283-312. Sage Journals, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0730888418780433. Accessed 10 Dec. 2024.