Gender stereotyping

An Ofsted report, ‘Girls’ career aspirations’, has found that some girls are receiving weak careers education, which is making it difficult for them to make properly informed choices about courses and careers. Many of the girls thought there could be discrimination if they worked in a male dominated occupation, and suggested they would like to visit a workplace and see a woman doing the job successfully before choosing it for themselves. The most positive attitudes were found in the single-sex schools visited, where most of the girls spoken to asserted that they would definitely consider jobs stereotypically done by men.

Careers4u.tv has a number of interviews featuring professionals working in non-stereotypical roles.

Clip titles

Civil Engineer – working on railway embankment project Sports Inclusion Officer – working from Bath Rugby and instructing young people with special needs Structural Engineer – senior engineer in the construction industry Aerospace Design Engineer – working at Airbus Heritage Conservation Scientist – a materials scientist with a degree in engineering who is working on priceless tapestries at Hampton Court Palace Technical Director – the leading snowboard designer who struggled who failed maths A ‘level but is about to become a Doctor of Engineering Chef de Partie – a chef working in the traditional all-male environment of a Searcy’s kitchen Farm Manager – manages a large cereals farm Motor Sport Engineer – based at a race track (this is an early clip so not many cutaway shots) Senior Prison Officer – working in an all-male prison (no cutaway shots due to security) To keep things in perspective students may like to look at these clips: Senior Playworker – works with young children Reception Supervisor – runs reception for a prestigious beauty salon