PDF Meaningful work: differences among blue-, pink-, and white-collar occupations Marjolein Lips-Wiersma

pink collar jobs meaning

Meaningful work remains a contested topic that has been the subject of attention in a wide range of disciplines. The focus of this Special Issue is the advancement of theory and evidence about the nature, causes, consequences , and processes of meaningful work. We summarize the contributions of each of the seven articles that comprise the Special Issue and, in particular, note their methodological and theoretical plurality. In conclusion, we set forth a future research agenda based on five fundamental paradoxes of meaningful work. An essential part of inclusivity in the workplace is ensuring candidates not only have equal opportunities to get into your organization, but to progress through it. Naturally, this allows interviewer bias to flourish because you gain uneven data on each candidate.

At that time, the term was used to denote secretarial staff as well as non-professional office staff, all of which were largely made up of women. These positions were not white-collar jobs, but neither were they blue-collar manual labor. Hence, the creation of the term “pink-collar,” which indicated it was not white-collar, was nonetheless an office job and one that was overwhelmingly filled by women. Workers were historically divided into categories based on the type of attire they wore. Blue-collar workers wore blue-colored clothing that was meant to hide the dirt and residue that came from working with their hands while white-collar workers wore white shirts underneath their suits. While these distinctions still exist, the lines between these two categories are fading.

Blue-Collar vs. White-Collar: What’s the Difference?

Under employed means that the person may be qualified with a specific degree but may be holding a job that does not require such high qualification. Some examples of Grey collar workers include; IT professionals, health care professionals, child care professionals and skilled technicians. When looking at collar colors, it is the blue-collar and white-collar jobs that stand out due to its major difference. White-collared workers are salaried professionals and rarely ever leave their office or have to do manual labor to perform work. The term “pink-collar” was popularized in the late 1970s by writer and social critic Louise Kapp Howe to denote women working as nurses, secretaries, and elementary school teachers. Its origins, however, go back to the early 1970s, when the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was placed before the states for ratification.

  • As blue-collar job technology increases, so does the amount of education needed and subsequent pay workers receive, such as those for electricians and cable installers.
  • Some progressive families allowed their young and unmarried daughters to work, but once they married and had children, they were expected to stay at home and care for the children.
  • Put simply, an office job is considered more desirable than one in the manufacturing or agricultural sector because of the type of work involved.
  • It’s interesting that not only have the jobs that were classified as a pink collar in the past changed.

Blue Collar workers are generally out in the field doing hard manual labor. Manual laborers typically prefer dark clothing so that the dirt and sweat from their hard work does not easily show on their clothing. When one sees development and lots of infrastructure coming up in a country, you will see a large demand for the Blue Collar worker.

t-century female working world (United Kingdom)

The recruiter may be swayed by confirmation bias, only noticing the ways a candidate conforms to their expectations and not the ways they subvert them. This could well contribute to women’s perceived aptitude for “nurturing” roles, and it’s surely a contributor to the gender application gap we mentioned at the start of this blog. Kristin Kizer is an award-winning writer, television and documentary producer, and content specialist who has worked on a wide variety of written, broadcast, and electronic publications. A former writer/producer for The Discovery Channel, she is now a freelance writer and delighted to be sharing her talents and time with the wonderful Zippia audience. In 1913 the ILGWU signed the well-known “protocol in the Dress and Waist Industry” which was the first contract between labor and management settled by outside negotiators. American writer Upton Sinclair is partially responsible for the modern understanding of the term white-collar, having used the phrase in conjunction with administrative work.

What is of a white collar job?

White-collar workers are suit-and-tie workers who work at a desk and, stereotypically, eschew physical labor. White-collar jobs typically are higher-paid, higher-skilled jobs that require more education and training than low-skilled or manual work.

This is not just about equality within a binary, either, but about making your organization accessible to people of all genders. That means attracting non-binary and trans candidates as well as cisgender men and women to your organization. The percentage of women as part of the overall labor force worldwide climbed steadily from 1990 to 2005, when it peaked at 39.9%.

Pink or velvet ghetto in the field of public relations

If you’re a teacher in a public high school, for example, you’re a part of the education sector as well as the government employee sector. Or if you’re a freelance artist, you technically don’t fall under any sector but still belong somewhere in the earning workforce. Illustratively, CNBC reported on October 2, 2020, that, in just the one month period between August and September, nearly 1.1 million workers ages 20 and over dropped out of the labor force, meaning they are no longer working or even looking for work. To dig deeper into hiring for HEAL, read our blog about how skills-based hiring can reduce male inequality in HEAL roles.

Is white a blue-collar job?

Blue-collar jobs are those that involve a greater degree of physically-taxing or manual labor. Blue-collar jobs include farmers, mechanics, power plant operators, and electricians. White-collar jobs, on the other hand, typically work in office settings in clerical, administrative, and management roles.

Typically, clerk positions were filled by young men who used the position as an apprenticeship and opportunity to learn basic office functions before moving on to management positions. In the 1860s and 1870s, widespread use of the typewriter made women appear better suited for clerk positions.[17] With their smaller fingers, women were perceived to be better able to operate the new machines. By 1885, new methods of note-taking and the expanding scope of businesses led office-clerk positions to be in high demand.[18] Having a secretary became a status symbol, and these new types of positions were relatively well paid. NEW
BOOK TELLS HOW WOMEN CAN ESCAPE THE PINK-COLLAR GHETTO
Anne Brooks Ranallo says vocational training is a viable career
alternative for many women who do not attend college. When you’re shaking up the status quo in jobs dominated by one gender, it’s important to create a work environment of psychological safety. The final big benefit of skills testing is that it empowers you to compare candidates with ease and precision, instead of falling back on unconscious bias.

Examples of pink collar jobs

Because the physical aspect of their job isn’t as active as blue-collared workers, their job entails less physical activity, which can affect their overall lifestyle. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO) and based on worldwide data, the field with the pink collar jobs meaning highest proportion of women is personal care workers, which includes positions like health care aides. So, does the idea of working with people and possibly helping them feel better, live better lives, or be happier, healthier, and better-educated appeal to you?

Some workers are paid by the number of pieces they complete in a day, which is typical for those who work in factory settings. A man can choose to enter a pink-collared job, but this is often very rare. In some cases, companies or employers hiring for jobs that fall into the pink-collar category put “Female” as a hard requirement for getting the position. One way of properly classifying members of workers is by collar color labels.

When you’re trying to create equality of opportunity in a role dominated by one gender, this is a big problem. Furthermore, neither of these things reliably show you a candidate’s skills and instead rely on an honor system. Assuring diversity can help you hang onto your best people; research suggests higher levels of gender diversity, as well as HR policies specifically focusing on these issues, correlate to lower employee turnover.

Orange, white, yellow and green shirts also have meaning – Richmond News

Orange, white, yellow and green shirts also have meaning.

Posted: Mon, 20 Feb 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Some examples of White Collar jobs include; corporate executives, advertising and public relation professionals, architects, stockbrokers, doctors, dentists and dietitians. Very often these positions can be highly stressful, demanding and require good time management skills. Blue-collar jobs are those that involve a greater degree of physically-taxing or manual labor. Blue-collar jobs include farmers, mechanics, power plant operators, and electricians. White-collar jobs, on the other hand, typically work in office settings in clerical, administrative, and management roles.

What is pink collar and white collar jobs?

Pink collar jobs refer to jobs that are predominantly held by women. You're probably familiar with blue collar jobs, which typically involve manufacturing or manual labor, and white collar jobs, which typically involve clerical or managerial duties.

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