By Evie Hayman
It makes me so mad when people don’t take my English degree seriously. Many view it as a “soft” major for people just going to college to get a degree; one that has no use in the real world. As I look around in my classroom, I see mostly women. If I looked in a science-based class, I would see mostly men. It makes me wonder – is English a “soft” major because it is female-dominated?
Possibly, said Natalie Wilson, professor of literature and women’s studies at Cal State San Marcos. “I think that in those areas where women dominate there is this tendency to identify them as soft.”
This idea of “soft” also permeates certain professions, mainly those with lots of women.
For example:
Nursing=Soft
Construction=Hard
“When areas become more female-dominated, the salaries and the prestige tend to go down,” Wilson asserted. These jobs become viewed as “soft,” a term she sees as applying to femininity. In the past, women were expected to be soft and passive while men were expected to be aggressive.
However, as Dr. Wilson points out, when men move into female-dominated career fields like nursing, the job titles are changed. “As more men go into a profession, the terms we use to define them are made less soft,” she says, “Like personal assistant instead of secretary.”
As men leave a profession and it becomes more female-dominated, there are negative effects. “This filtered into the job market where it was assumed men want to do hard jobs, women want to do soft jobs, and they are naturally better equipped to do them,” she explained.
If men do end up with one of the “soft jobs,” they are generally in positions of power. “The higher up the ladder – more power, more money – more likely to have males [in those positions],” she said, “People at the top of the ladder at schools are men; most surgeons are men, most nurses are women.”
Wilson also agrees with me that English majors are looked down upon. She views this as partly due to the belief that you can’t make any money with an English degree.
“Reading a book and liking poetry is feminine and a waste of time, because you’re not making any money,” she explained, “Humanities is considered a soft discipline; it is not valued and not seen as a money maker.”
But you can make money with an English degree, especially if you are a male.
“With writing, men are paid more and publicized more,” said Wilson, “Even though women are doing it more, men make more money and get more recognition.”
Wilson pointed to Stephenie Meyer, author of the Twilight series. Meyer is always framed as a mother, whereas male authors are never framed as fathers.
“When women achieve, they are still framed as mothers, still framed as soft,” she noted.
My piece of advice to the world: don’t judge a brain by its female cover. English might seem like a “soft” major leading to a “soft” job, but I can guarantee you that everyone depends on an English major in some small way each and every day. Think of us the next time you open the newspaper, use a manual, or read this very blog – won’t you?
April 18th, 2011 at 11:22 am
I do value English majors. I just wish more companies used them, especially when creating manuals.
Yes, many big, well-known brands produce decent manuals, but they seem to be in the minority. When I’m shopping for a new product, I like to look at the manual as part of the decision-making process. When the manual (in particular, the grammar, word choice, and spelling) suggest that the manual was written by non-native English speakers (or written in a foreign tongue before being put through a translation program), it speaks volumes (to me) about the company’s commitment to quality as a whole, raising concerns about the product itself.
Just to make sure I’m not misunderstood here, I have nothing against persons who have English as a second language (ESL). English (as I understand it) is one of the hardest languages to learn and master, because it is so full of idioms and exceptions to various rules. My father was himself an immigrant to this country, and to this day we encounter people who have a hard time understanding him (verbally and in writing). I’m not suggesting that people must have a grand mastery of the English language to work at all (after all, there are “born-and-reared” United States citizens who have poor English language skills). I’m merely suggesting that companies that are marketing products primarily to English-speaking consumers make sure they are producing high-quality documents in that language (just as they should for any language group to which they are selling products).
April 18th, 2011 at 1:58 pm
I think what we’re finding in today’s workplace is that those “soft” skills are the hardest to master–and what will make people successful in the future workplace. In fact, as we teach leadership skills, it’s much more about relationship-building and influencing others than it is about nuts and bolts and bottom lines.
As we move from a manufacturing focus to a service focus, we automatically need those skills that women seem to innately possess–developing others, creativity, enthusiasm, teambuilding, etc. I think most women and mothers will identify with every one of these skills. As an executive coach, I need to encourage these soft skills in my male clients more than females. And of course, these behaviors are detailed nicely in our REACH framework that I’ve talked about here before.
I used to work for the Navy. It was a hobby of mine to ask what people majored in vs. what they ended up doing for a living. In the military, it was all over the map. Some engineering majors ended up as engineers, but more often, it was the English, Philosophy, or History major who ended up leading a team. I don’t have an answer as to why, but you have given me a good clue, Eve! The more men can embrace their “feminine side” at work, the better off they’ll be.
April 18th, 2011 at 3:54 pm
I have an undergrad degree in History, and I think it was a very valuable degree, even if some perceive it as “soft” (although it was definitely a male-dominated major). Liberal arts degrees are very prone to a double standard: Lots of people asked me if I was getting a history degree to teach high school history, and a lot of my male classmates were assumed to be future politicians or lawyers.
Well, now I have an MBA (from an all-women’s program) and I work in the tech sector. So I guess just because you start “soft” doesn’t mean you end up there.
April 18th, 2011 at 10:21 pm
HikingStick,
I completely agree with you about manuals. They really are a reflection of the company itself. When a manual is unclear, the consumer could use the product incorrectly and end up not receiving the full benefits of the item. In addition, if a consumer becomes frustrated with a product and moves on to another similar item, this is bad for the company. So a clear, well-written manual is really more important than most people think.
EssentialEmployee,
I also think that the stereotypical feminine communication patterns are really beneficial in the working world. I believe that when employees feel that they encouraged to be creative and when they get along with their co-workers they are more productive. In my personal experience with team projects I find that when someone communicates with me in a “feminine” way, I respond much better to it and I think my work is better too. Maybe that is because I am a female, but as I said I think overall the “feminine” communication style is better for those in leadership positions.
Kate,
That is very interesting about the double standard aspect; I will have to ask my male English major peers about it. I also agree about not ending up where you started. I hope to work in a technical field as an editor, likely editing documents that would never enter an English classroom.