According to statistics from Namely’s HR Career Report, over 70% of Human Resource (HR) professionals are women. This data was gathered from the company’s database of over a thousand companies and two hundred thousand employees. Zippia’s data science team also did extensive research and reported that out of the over 299,000 human resources managers working in the United States, only 28.9% of this number are men.
To crown these reports, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) also stated that 72% of HR managers are women, and even worse, 96% of HR assistants are also women. These reports make it no secret that there is a gender diversity problem in the HR world. This begs these questions – where are the males? And how does it feel to be a male working in HR?
Why Gender Diversity?
There used to be a time when males dominated the HR department. At this time, most of the jobs available were manufacturing jobs, and men were in the best position to negotiate offers and iron out grievances between employees or between employees and management. However, as the subject of gender diversity continues to pop up, the question of why women tend to be more in HR keeps coming with it.
As time passed, manufacturing jobs began to fade out, and the men in HR began to retire from their jobs. Their assistants, who were mostly women, began to assume more responsibilities in administration as the men did not consider administrative work an ideal job for themselves. Because the HR job was not like a salesperson or an engineer, more women became available than men, which led to the evolution in the HR industry.
Today, the human resource industry is very much dominated by women. However, this does not overrule the fact that there are many job opportunities available for males who are aspiring to join the industry. Finding a male in human resources can indeed be a bit daunting. However, there is a silver lining; the career opportunities in human resources are so abundant that any male who wants to dive in will find a space to fit in.
Theories About the Gender Diversity
Today, a lot of research is ongoing to find out why the percentage of women in human resources is more than that of men. Certainly, this is not a result of gender discrimination, yet there is no concrete evidence to explain the diversity, although there are certain theories from analysts in the industry.
Some people have said that the gender difference results from the structure of the HR department. These analysts claim that the human resource is designed for the female gender because it involves making decisions on different matters. According to these analysts, this decision-making process is an innate nature of females, hence the reason for the large percentage of women in the industry.
It is easy to understand the point of view of these analysts because being in HR requires that you show empathy most of the time, and women are generally better at being empathic than men.
Though easy to understand, these theories are not valid because there are men who can show empathy and professionalism in the place of work. Agreeing to these theories would mean that top female HR professionals who have made positive impacts in their place of work and the HR industry did not achieve their feats because they are professional but rather because they are females.
The Place of Men in HR
HR has advanced beyond the conventional scope of work than it used to have, becoming a wider field and creating more job opportunities in HR metrics, Service Delivery, Project Management, Ethical Issues, and so on. This means that if it is true that the gender diversity in human resources is a result of the department’s structure, there are now areas in the HR field that require more professionalism and less empathy.
Therefore, the ideology that human resources are only concerned with resolving staff issues is a false one. The HR field is centered on data management rather than women’s instincts.
Is HR Really for Males?
If you are a male and you desire to pursue a career in human resources, do not let the industry gossip hold you back. As a male, you are well equipped as any female can be. Nothing makes a woman more qualified than a man for an HR job. Your gender is not a barrier, and there is an ocean of opportunities in the industry that are available for you to tap into.
A more reasonable and acceptable explanation for why there are more women than men in human resources is that more women are pursuing degrees in HR and applying for HR jobs than men. This can be proven by looking at the percentage of women taking HR courses.
There is no discrimination in the human resource industry. If ten people apply for a job position and only two of them are men, there is an 80% possibility that women will get the job. So, if more men pursue a career in HR and get a degree, there is every tendency that balance can be restored to gender diversity.
More on the Gender Inequality in Human Resource
One would assume that because there are more women than men in human resources, women would receive larger remuneration. However, the reverse is the case. Male HR managers are said to collect higher salaries than their female counterparts. It was even discovered that some junior HR professionals who are males earn more than their superiors who are females. As a department mainly centered on data, this practice is unjust and should be shunned.
Conclusion
Human Resources is a department in an organization that requires great analysis and sterling performance and should not be left for women alone. It is good that more companies are beginning to realize that an HR job is for women but for those who are qualified. If you are a man thinking of pursuing a career in HR, do not be discouraged by the population of women in the field. There are opportunities for you, and if you put in the effort, you will be successful.
References
Zippia: HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER
Corporate Wellness Magazine: Fostering Gender Equality and Diversity in the Workplace
SHRM: Staffing the Human Resource Function
About AbstractOps
We understand that it can sometimes appear like there is a gender stereotype in the HR department. However, we can help walk you through the process of you deciding to become one, and it doesn’t matter if you’re a male. AbstractOps can provide you with all the training needed to become an outstanding male HR personnel. You’re just an email away from us via hello@abstractops.com.
