Thinking about the best job! What comes to your mind first? A lucrative paycheck for sure! But talking about the best careers for women is not the only criterion. There’s always a mix of factors that make a job more desirable like feasible working hours to maintain work-life balance, stress-free & safe working environment, growth opportunities in the future, job security, social benefits, low unemployment rate, and low wage disparity.
According to a survey, more than 50% workforce is dissatisfied with their jobs in a country called the land of opportunities. It is alarming and indicates you must choose a job/career or a specific career path that is compatible with your interests, skills, and talents.
Why Is Career Important in Women’s Life?
Career choice is one of the major life decisions in any individual’s life. Women constitute almost half of the world’s population and more than 40 % of the workforce. Therefore, no nation with a desire to lead and progress can afford to ignore women’s participation in the economy.
Selection of an occupation directly influences the financial wellness of a person and is related to other dimensions of wellness – physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, environmental, and social. Thus, it affects the overall quality of one’s life. Families and relationships suffer a lot due to work related stress which makes this decision even more critical for a woman.
Quest for the Best Careers for Women
You might be seeking study options or seeking a job in a specific field or want a shift in your career. In any case, you can make a better choice by looking into economic factors and answering the following three questions:
1. What is the location of the job?
Developed countries/cities require a highly skilled workforce so pursuing a high-salaried career implies high investment in education.
2. What is the major sector in the economy where you seek a job?
The options available usually depend on the trending needs and work culture of a country. For example in China manufacturing sector absorbs most of the workforce while in the USA/EUROPE the services sectors generate most of the jobs.
3. What is the future growth potential of your desired career/job?
The job market is changing drastically by wiping out some of the old jobs and creating new jobs that were non-existent just a decade ago. So think about the potential labor market and its ability to absorb the entrants i.e. are there enough jobs in relation to job-seekers?
Best Career Choices for Women
Women are multi-tasking, natural givers, nurturers, socially sensitive, and linguistically intelligent. These natural qualities make females best for healthcare, education, law, social sciences, hospitality, and management sectors. Whereas, IT, finance and STEM sectors have less female representation which attracts individualist kinds of women. Let’s see some of the best careers for women and have a look at projections for median salary and job growth rate from 2018-2028 by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Also Read: Some jobs for working moms also pay well enough for them to support their families.
HEALTHCARE/MEDICINE
Healthcare has always been a female-dominant industry having the lowest pay gap (nearly 80% of what males earn). Interestingly all the top ten high-paying jobs (according to US News) are from this ever-growing sector of the economy where women represent 65% of the workforce in the USA and more than 75% in many other countries. There can’t be an over-supply of professionals in it due to the intensive education and skill set required. Every country seeks new doctors on a consistent basis. Advanced countries are diversified having hundreds of specialty and subspecialties giving various job/career options. Usually, specialists earn more than general doctors.
Skill-set: – Empathy, stress, time management, decision-making, teamwork, adaptability, communication skills
Job growth: – 16 % for overall healthcare occupations.
Career Options and Salary:-
1. Dentistry
Being in the top ten job lists, it is indeed a job that pays very well. Advanced nations with aging populations having a great sense of oral health have high potential growth. The number of females in dentistry is constantly growing (currently more than 48%). (General Dentist: $170,160; Specialist like orthodontist, oral and maxillofacial surgeons: $307,999.)
2. Physicians
They examine patients, diagnose their medical conditions, prescribe them medications, and plan treatments. Women can choose from a wide range of specialties including family physicians, pediatricians, OB/GYN, and dermatologists. (General physicians: $224,190; Specialist like Obstetrician/gynecologist – $264,455)
3. Nursing
It is a highly respected, most sought-after, and the largest group of the healthcare workforce (more than 85% are female) in Western countries. This group includes:
- Registered nurses – RNs have the highest projected jobs (2,986,500 jobs in the USA) with a decent median salary $80,010. The education requirement is a relevant bachelor’s degree.
- Nurse anesthetists – Having the highest median salary ($117,670) in nursing, they compete with anesthesia specialists in performing similar duties but with different career paths. They are advanced practice RNs with master’s education.
- Nurse practitioners – Their duties are somewhat related to physicians but with a master’s degree comparatively less training and less median salary of $ 114,510. This job is ranked fifth in the 100 best jobs by US News.
According to BLS overall 26% growth is projected for this group including RNs and nurse midwives.
4. Psychologist
Having master’s degrees, they take care of patient’s mental health by providing psychotherapy. They’re not medical doctors like psychiatrists so they don’t prescribe medicines. The number of females in the psychology discipline is growing day by day. (Median salary: $174,000)
5. Psychiatrist
They are physicians with a specialization in psychiatry so they can prescribe medicines, unlike psychologists. They’re high in demand in countries that value mental health and high-quality lifestyles. (Median-Salary range: $20,000 – $399,500)
LAW/SOCIAL SCIENCE
Women can be great as lawyers, especially those who love taking challenges and breaking stereotypes. 48.5% of attorneys in the USA are females and 48% of new lawyers in the UK are female. Owing to rigorous training and high education fees there’s a shortage of lawyers in Canada, Australia, and Denmark. Most of the developed countries offer immigration through economic streams. Which makes these countries desirable destinations for the highly skilled workforce of less developed countries.
Qualification: – Doctorate degree
Skill-set:- Logical and analytical skills for assessment and evaluations of the situations to be resolved, great interpersonal skills, debate, and convincing power, good judgment to make informed decisions, reasonable skepticism to verify the explicit and implicit facts, research and excellent writing skills to formulate legal documents, and perseverance to cope with difficult people and situations
Job growth: 6%, close to overall growth for all occupations
Career Options and Salary:-
According to PayScale, the following lawyer’s group earns a six-figure salary of $148,910:
- Patent attorney (highest median); Intellectual property (IP) attorney; Trial lawyer; Tax attorney; Corporate lawyer
The lawyers earn an average of $143,569
- Employment lawyer; Real Estate attorney; Divorce attorney; Immigration attorney; Estate attorney; Public Defender (low median)
(Lawyer’s Median Salary: $120,910)
BUSINESS/MANAGEMENT
The sector creates job opportunities in the economy by producing and selling products & services in all kinds of businesses.
Salary and Career options:-
1. Statistician
1st in the best business jobs rankings and 6th in the best STEM jobs, it offers a wide range of sectors – Education, Psychology, Marketing, Sports, Business industries, and Healthcare- to work with. The recent pandemic has made biostatisticians one of the best careers for women in 2022. They’re high in demand in many other healthcare sectors e.g. public health agencies, pharmaceutical companies, and hospitals. (Median salary: $93,290 )
Qualification: – Doctorate after master’s degree in math/statistics/survey methodology.
Skill-set:- Data collection skills for designing surveys, questionnaires, opinion polls, etc.; analytical skills for identifying trends and relationships between data; precision and attention to detail; mathematical, and statistical skills, and computer literacy to apply relevant tools and techniques to data under consideration; problem-solving and decision-making skill to reach conclusions; presentation skills and ability to communicate results effectively; ability to work in isolation and within teams.
Growth rate: An excellent 33%, good news for females seeking careers in STEM.
2. CEO
Women CEOs are changing the general viewpoint of having only a man at the top of the executive team. They are making their companies more profitable than before. The career path for women who aspire to become CEOs is to earn at least a bachelor’s degree and build on-the-job experiences through job rotations. It is necessary to comprehend the overall operations of a company to make strategic decisions to achieve corporate goals successfully. Salaries of CEOs vary depending on the nature and size of the business but usually, they make six figure median salary.
Qualification: – Bachelor’s in business/finance/management except for those who start their own companies.
Skill-Set: – Strong management, leadership, and communication skills to persuade others, decision-making and problem-solving skills, knowledge of business-related IT tools
Job growth: around 9%
3. Financial Managers
Ranking 5th in best business jobs, it is yet another promising career for ambitious females leading them to CEO positions. They can either choose to work in banking and financial institutions or in the finance department of any organization. (Salary: $134,180 per year)
Qualification: – Bachelor’s degree in business/marketing/communication or another related field.
Skillset:- Management, leadership, problem-solving skills, ability to use business-related IT tools to generate various financial reports and to interpret & communicate those with others, knowledge of all the relevant business laws & financial policies to ensure compliance.
Job growth: 17% quite faster than the overall 6%.
4. Marketing and Sales Managers
It is one of the best-paying jobs where women are welcome to give their insight into developing strategies for influencing customers, clients, and society in a better way. The main responsibilities are to develop and implement marketing plans for an entire business or its brands; so as to widen the market by attracting new customers and retaining existing ones. It makes stress levels of the job above average but with higher pay-offs. (Salary: $132,290)
Skill-set:- Creativity, negotiation, stress management, adaptability, teamwork, organizational and planning skills, commercial awareness, and IT literacy due to the increasing trend of digital marketing.
Qualification: – At least Bachelor’s degree in business/accounting/finance/economics
Job growth: 7%
EDUCATION
It’s the most empowering and female-dominated sector, especially at the elementary and secondary levels. However, at higher education levels ratio is rather in favor of the male workforce. Salaries vary widely based on many factors like education and additional qualifications, work experience, employer (whether private/government school/college/university), and location. One exciting aspect of this sector is experts like lawyers, doctors, and from all other areas of the economy can work as teachers/lecturers/trainers with and for educational institutions. This field is perfect for those who seek to make a difference by transferring their knowledge, skills, and experiences to the next generation.
In conclusion, women are diverse in their skills, talents, interests, priorities, life goals, and opportunities available and so are their choices as to jobs/careers. It’s not an exhaustive list at all, women are doing great with job titles like software developers, IT managers, pharmacists, management consultants, pilots, engineers, scientists, etc. Many ambitious women inspire others by paving their way for non-traditional careers. It is up to you how passionate are you about a specific career, and how you pursue that career enhancing your skill set and keeping in mind relevant economic factors. If you work due to passion, studies show you’ll perform better and feel more fulfilled.
Also Read: Education is the backbone of society, and quotes on women’s education are a smoother way to convey the message to understand the gist, here are a few of the best quotes on women education by some of the brightest minds.
