Non-Traditional Careers

Submitted By: Frank Holthouse

Lesson Name: Non-Traditional Careers

Lesson Objectives:

1. Students will examine how career choice may be influenced by gender.
2. Students will use the internet to investigate gender issues and career choice.
3. Students will access the USOE/CTE website and access the Nontraditional Career Brochures.
4. Students will use critical thinking and writing skills.

Process

Teacher hands out jobs checklist. Students work alone or in pairs and complete the checklist of traditional male jobs and traditional female jobs.

 Discussion topics/questions:

• Are there any jobs on the list that a man could not do? 
• Are there any jobs on the list that a woman could not do?
• Why do you think some careers are mostly filled by men? 
• Why do you think some careers are mostly filled by women? 
• Does gender affect education and career choice? Should it?

Find the facts:

There are some misconceptions regarding the workforce in Illinois. Using a search engine, type in key

phrases such as the ones suggested below, and find the answers to the following questions.

1. What percent of Illinois women work outside the home?
2. How does Illinois’s divorce rate compare to the rest of the nation?
3. For every dollar a man makes in Illinois, how much does a woman make?
4. What percentage of men in Illinois have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher?
5. What percentage of women in Illinois have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher?
6. What percentage of men 18-24 still live at home? What percentage of young adults 18-35 live

at home with their parents? Is this increasing or decreasing? Why?

7. What may be an advantage to choosing a nontraditional career?
8. What may be a roadblock to choosing a nontraditional career?