13: Women in Non-Traditional Jobs: Part II

Images of prison guards and correctional officers that are popularized in the media usually are sexualized and minimize the actual responsibility and power of women in those non-traditional roles. These women are either portrayed as extremely feminine, and desiring sex constantly, or extremely masculine, and uninterested in anything sexual. This is combined with another notion: that women are not naturally attuned to the violence that is inherent to men. Because "normal" women are not violent in nature, these women in prisons are seen as a sort of freakish anomaly. This leaves women as either sexual objects, asexual objects, or monsters.

These notions are a stark contrast to how women in non-traditional roles are portrayed in promotional and recruitment videos. The “Women at Work” recruitment video portrays women in non-traditional fields such as aviation, automotive mechanics, drafting, construction. There is a mix of very feminine and slightly masculine women. Women are in power, taking action, and, interestingly, the only male voice in the piece is the narrator. This note is reflected in the real-life continued domination of males in these fields. If a man was not speaking as the ultimate authority, the video might be less effective in persuading females to pursue jobs that men dominate. It’s a voice of permission, allowing women to want to try their hands at new and typically male careers.

The images portrayed of men as correctional officers in male prisons are usually intensely violent. Additionally, men's prisons are generally a gender segregated and not welcoming to women taking on authoritative positions within them. Conversely, men taking on authoritative positions in women’s prisons tend to be welcomed with open arms. This sexism within male institutions is a result of men feeling threatened by women coming into fields that are not gender typical, and infiltrating what had been a boys’ club. Women probably tend to be more welcoming to men in female institutions because men are more likely to be viewed as experts in the field of corrections, because they have dominated the field over more time.