Today, women still struggle to enter male-dominated industries because of the existing barriers and prejudice they encounter. For instance, women only make up barely 10% of the construction industry. In architecture, only 25.5% of the professionals in the field are female. In addition, women in male-dominated companies experience unfair treatment and a lack of career development opportunities, which delays them from achieving higher positions in their companies. This phenomenon is so common that the term glass ceiling was introduced. It describes the metaphorical invisible barrier that prevents women from being promoted to managerial and executive-level positions within an organization.
Despite these existing obstacles, it doesn’t stop women from breaking through the glass ceiling and showing everyone that they can excel in whichever industry they want, regardless of gender.
Here are five women who breakthrough male-dominated fields:
Amy Hunn
From being a part-timer in 2002, Amy Hunn has moved up to become the vice president of construction and facilities for Floyd’s 99 Barbershop. One of the challenges she faced as a woman in the male-dominated construction industry was building self-confidence and working to earn respect from peers. But she didn’t let this pressure stop her from contributing her skills to help the business grow. Because of her faith in her strengths and willingness to learn, she eventually became a valuable asset to the company. Today, the American Builders Quarterly shared that Floyd’s barbershop business has over 120 in 14 states, and it’s all due to Hunn’s dedication to breaking through the male-dominated industry.
Mary Ann Hawley
The finance industry is still mostly dominated by male professionals, but Mary Ann Hawley demonstrated that she has a talent in the field and can perform the same tasks as men. Since she was initially a copywriter, she had to take graduate courses and attend conferences to learn and start her journey in finance. Because of her determination and courage to switch careers, she’s now the CEO and founder of UnifyImpact, an organization that provides sustainable investment opportunities to everyday individuals. Hawley proved that as long as you’re willing to make the change, you can succeed in the career you choose to pursue.
Mary-Clare Race
Another woman exceeding expectations is Mary-Clare Race, the Chief Innovation and Product Officer at LHH. In the inspiring stories compiled by LHH for women, it’s revealed that early in Race’s career, she was exposed to male-dominant environments where she didn’t have many strong female role models to look up to. Although there were pressures to change her personality to fit the culture, Race believes that putting your whole self into your work and being true to yourself will help you thrive and prosper, whichever career path you choose. Race’s story inspires all women that you don’t have to change who you are to be successful.
Kim Spurgeon
In another story shared by LHH, Kim Spurgeon explained that one of the best things she learned from her mother was taking on any challenge without fear. With this positive attitude, she bravely took on a male-dominated field like criminology and helped people who had been in the justice system. This belief also made her excel in the sales industry, wherein she now holds the position of Senior Vice President. According to Spurgeon, women need to keep an open mind about what they can achieve. Because most of the time, negative assumptions and mindset hinder you from fully realizing your potential in your career.
Karolina Swierk
Karolina Swierk showed that even if you think it’s out of your league, you can still create anything you put your heart into. As a professional in the hospitality industry, you wouldn’t imagine that she would launch a dating application to provide professional matchmaking services. Our article on ‘Karolina Swierk, Founder of Lady Matchmaker’ discussed how Lady Matchmaker aims to help individuals explore the dating world wherever they are. They do this by assisting users in meeting wonderful new people and finding real love without the fear, frustration, and danger of catfishing. Apart from being a successful businesswoman in a male-dominated industry, Swierk is the Corporate Director Of Housekeeping for Sentral.
