The 2022 edition of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ report on fatal occupation fatalities didn’t have many surprises when it comes to which industries have the highest percentage of fatalities. Logging took the top spot, with 82 fatalities for every 100,000 full-time workers. Those in hunting and fishing came in next at 75 per 100,000 followed by roofers at 59 per 100,000. There are a lot of links that can tie these industries together, but one quality stands above the rest: all of these are what academics would call “male-dominated” industries.
Logging is a prime example of this. The nation’s most dangerous industry is comprised 93.1 percent by men. Only 6.9 of lumberjacks are actually lumber-jills. In case you think the logging industry is a fluke, look at the commercial fishing industry, where women make up only 8.8 percent of the workforce. In the dangerous field of professional roofing, only 0.5 percent of American roofers are women.
Is it a coincidence that these most fatal American professions are all more than 90 percent male? Of course it isn’t. Yet, you won’t hear feminists accuse the angling barons of angling for the patriarchy, nor will you see blue-haired leftists boycotting roofs until women achieve equal representation in the roofing industry. The simple reason is that feminists only want equal representation in fields that they consider to be glamorous and fun. When it comes to risking life and limb in logging or carrying 80-pound loads of roofing tile up a ladder in triple-digit temperatures, they are happy to let the men be chivalrous.
And let’s be clear, those of us that celebrate traditional gender roles aren’t pushing for more women in dangerous industries either. We simply ask that feminists acknowledge that it isn’t the patriarchy keeping women out. Women can choose to go into whatever industry they want, but most choose to pursue less physically demanding careers, even knowing that their choices may result in making less money than a man who works a more dangerous job. This free choice should be celebrated, not denigrated. Don’t shame women into becoming lumber-jills for feminism. Let them make their own choices!
