A new analysis by the New York Times today shows that more men are entering female-dominated professions like teaching and nursing, in an effort to achieve job stability, financial security and more time for family life. This employment shift has accounted for nearly a third of men’s total job growth from 2000 to 2010. However, while it’s good for men and potentially good for families, it’s a bit more complicated for the women in these fields.

The historical difficulties for women’s success in the workforce are well documented. First there was a closed door. Once it was opened and women started flooding the labor market and taking on the male-dominated corporate world, they then hit a glass ceiling—the unseen barrier that keeps them from rising to senior-level management.

Now, they must contend with yet another advancement obstacle, the “glass escalator.” While women climb the ladder in female-dominated professions, their male peers glide past them on an invisible escalator, shooting straight to the top.

“Men that enter female-dominated professions tend to be promoted at faster rates than women in those professions,” explains Caren Goldberg, Ph.D., an assistant professor of management at American University’s Kogod School of Business who has researched the phenomenon. “When you look at senior management, you tend to see men disproportionately represented. So while there may be less than 5% of all nurses who are male, you see a much larger percentage than 5% in senior-level positions like hospital administrators.”

Research shows that men in female-dominated jobs tend to fare better even than men in male-dominated jobs, and they typically earn higher salaries, receive more promotions, and achieve higher levels within organizations than their female counterparts.

Goldberg attributes the glass escalator, in part, to women’s increased likelihood of experiencing “career interruptions,” like taking time off to care for children or aging parents. At the same time, stereotypes about men and the characteristics of strong leadership work to men’s advantage.

“Research indicates that stereotypes about what a prototypical man is match with stereotypes about what a prototypical manager is,” says Goldberg, noting that men tend to be perceived as more assertive. “Because of the stereotype matching, men more readily fulfill our notions of what a manager should look like. And when you’re in a female-dominated profession, there are fewer people that have the ability to match it.”

So why aren’t more men racing to become nurses? Goldberg says despite the advancement potential in female-dominated professions, men still face negative cultural feedback for taking such jobs. Like Ben Stiller’s character as a male nurse in Meet The Parents, friends and family may question their masculinity and even openly mock their career choice.

Meanwhile, the glass ceiling remains for women in male-dominated fields. The only thing that’s changed is we see it now. “It’s still there; it’s tinted maybe but it hasn’t shattered yet,” Goldberg says. She notes that some women are able to excel and climb to the top in male-dominated fields because they stand out, are respected for blazing a trail and are viewed as bucking the traditional feminine stereotypes. However, on average, she says they are perceived as not fitting in well.

In the short term, Goldberg thinks that more men moving into fields with 70% or more women “does not bode well for women.” Yet in the long term, it may be beneficial to women’s salaries. In female-dominated fields wages are generally suppressed, but when professions become more male, wages tend to go up. “Having a greater proportion of men does raise salaries,” she says, “but that’s a slower train.”

• Read the following article about the glass escalator above.
• Were you aware of the concept of the glass escalator?
• Are you aware of a situation in which a man is the manager or supervisor of a group of women employees in a female-dominated group?
• What are some causes for this phenomenon and what can be done to mitigate it?