Women's work

There are several types of work that are considered women's work; they involve child care, housework, and occupations such as nursing that have been dominated by women in recent decades. Child care The term "women's work" may indicate a role with children as defined by nature in that only women are biologically capable of performing them: pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding. It may also refer to professions that involve these functions: midwife and wet nurse. "Women's work" may also refer to roles in raising children, particularly within the home: diaper changing and related hygiene, toilet training, bathing, clothing, feeding, monitoring, and education with regard to personal care. Women-dominated industries Women's work may also refer to professions that include childcare such as governess, nanny, day care worker, au pair, or professional positions such as teacher (especially teaching children) and nurse. House work and home production "Women's work" may also refer to roles related to housekeeping, such as cooking, sewing, ironing, and cleaning. It may also refer to professions that include these functions, such as maid and cook. Though much of "women's work" is indoors, some is outdoors, such as fetching water, grocery shopping or food foraging, and gardening. Until the Industrial Revolution, society was primarily agrarian and women were just as involved in working on farms as men. ''"Man may work from sun to sun, But woman's work is never done"''. Related concepts include gender roles, wage labour and employment, female workforce, and women's rights (cf. gender roles and feminism). The term may be pejorative, because historical advertisements have promoted the misrepresentation of women as only house maids. Many working women juggle a 'double-day shift,' which includes balancing a full-time job with full-time household responsibilities, a convention still prevalent in modern workplaces. The labor undertaken by women within the household is frequently overlooked and undervalued. == Effects of women's work on women and girls ==

Women's work and therefore women themselves can be "rendered invisible" in situations in which women's work is a supportive role to "men's work". For example, in peace negotiations, terms and language used may refer to 'combatants' to indicate the army in question. For example, In Sub-Saharan Africa, women make up 62% of the number of people who are responsible for water collection and transportation. Girls make up another 9% of those who fulfill water collection and transportation responsibilities. Men contribute 23% to water collection and transportation with boys responsible for 6% of the chore. The gender distribution of water collection and transportation greater impacts women and girls by contributing to "Time Poverty". This makes it more difficult for them to find the time to participate in activities such as "schooling, paid work...or leisure". == Women in men's work ==

Women who are in jobs or positions that are predominantly viewed as "men's work" may masculinize themselves in order to be viewed as rightly in that job or position. For example, it was found that "Hillary Clinton's language became more masculinized the higher she climbed the political ladder". The number of women being elected into government positions is increasing, and they are proving to be a significant voting demographic. Hillary Clinton was the first woman to run for president who was seen as a true contender, and Sarah Palin was the first Republican woman vice-president nominee. There is often also a negative association with women who partake in "men's work". Unless a woman is quite obviously successful in their job, they are often seen as less competent than men in these "male" positions. In contrast, if a woman is competent and successful in a job that is considered to be more "masculine", then she is much less likely to be viewed as likeable. Both likeability and competence are needed to be truly successful in these fields, which creates another barrier in having a proportionate number of women to men in the STEM fields. == See also ==