For a long time some occupations were reserved or carried out only by men. Some careers were considered feminine careers and others were considered masculine. The history of gender workplace stereotypes has its roots in Christian ideology, medicine, science and classical thought. Men and women were thought to be different, both physically and mentally. Men were considered strong, courageous and more intelligent than women. Women were believed to be more emotional, compassionate and modest than men. While women were thought to be passive, men were considered aggressive. Based on these characteristics, each gender was matched with an occupation deemed most suited to their nature. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Women were more likely to become nurses, teachers, or cooks because of their compassionate nature and the experience they gained while caring for their families. Men chose to become pilots, engineers, and doctors because of their perceived intelligent nature and muscular body. Women held jobs that required a lot of care because they were often the ones who took care of the family with regards to cooking, cleaning and raising children while the man was responsible for financial matters. During the mid-nineteenth century, however, many feminists began to question the idea that a man was better than a woman. This was done in an effort to eliminate discriminatory practices in the labor market and also in educational opportunities. Sociologists' idea that both women and men are similar in almost all aspects has pushed women to venture further by pursuing higher education, leadership positions, and careers in male-dominated occupations. This stereotype influences young adolescents' attitudes and career aspirations when doing their jobs. professional decisions (Ramaci et al., 2017). The idea that some careers are dominated by men discourages young, dependent girls from pursuing their dreams. Women in male-dominated jobs still find it difficult to seek leadership positions for fear of not being good enough. Very few countries in the world have had female presidents; this fact prevents girls from reaching their full potential because they believe that leadership positions are more suited to men. However, this is not the case, because countries like Liberia have prospered more with a female president than the male presidents who preceded her reign. In my opinion, this should encourage women to venture into whatever career they feel best suits them. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Some other challenges that women face in today's society include issues such as equal pay where women are paid much less than their male counterparts in the same line of work. This strongly discourages young women because they feel that men are valued more than they are in today's modern society. Working mothers also face the problem of harsh working conditions. Some employers fail to understand that once a woman becomes a mother, she has a duty to the company and also to her child. In general, there is a lack of female role models in most fields considered to be male-dominated, resulting in young women lacking motivation to achieve..