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The 'Women in Male Fields' Trend: An Overview
If you’ve scrolled social media recently, you’ve probably seen the 'women in male fields' trend cross your feeds. I’ll admit it: The first time I came across an example of this trend, I was confused for a second…until I saw the hashtag, and it all began to make sense.
If you’re unfamiliar, this trend is all about highlighting the double standards between men and women: A woman will post text of something a man might say (or something our world would never allow a woman to say) over an image or video of herself.
The result is jarring: For example, you might see an image of a woman with text reading something like “When he said his tummy hurts and I told him okay but your mouth still works” (yikes).
The fact that these messages are so surprising — that many of us will see them juxtaposed against a woman’s image and immediately feel a little bit shocked before realizing it’s all part of the social media trend — is pretty telling. This trend’s shock value is proof of how deep those double standards run in our society.
Why This Trend Is Eye-Opening and Important
These 'women in male fields' videos have quickly become one of my favorite things on the Internet.
The takes on this trend are hilarious and wildly entertaining, but it’s also an eye-opening look at how deep the double standards against women run, and how they affect nearly every part of our lives.
What Makes the 'Women in Male Fields' Trend So Compelling?
The 'women in male fields' trend touches on so many topics. Many young creators are using this trend to talk about the realities of dating, especially for heterosexual women. For example, some versions of the trend include messages like: “begging him to date me because he’s out of my league and then cheating on him” or, as several creators post, something along the lines of “telling him he’s different than the rest and then redownloading all the apps just to see what’s out there."
Examples of the Double Standards Women Face in Work and Finances
It’s not just about dissecting dating culture and how men often treat the woman they date. It’s also about other facets of life where women are treated differently than men: Work culture, for example. One creator posts: “He told me he works in finance so I said ‘wow if I worked with you I’d get nothing done’”. Others state things like, "When he tells me he's going to medical school and I ask him what kind of nurse he wants to be."
The trend also allows creators to touch on financial imbalances — and a different set of attitudes towards money — between the sexes. For example, one creator posts “When he’s sitting in business class, so I ask him what his husband does for work.”
How the Trend Exposes Parenting Inequalities
Parenting is another common overarching topic these videos cover: “When a working dad tells me he travels a lot for his job I look at him mad confused and ask ‘So who is taking care of your kid’?".
I got so into watching videos featuring this trend, that I was even inspired to add my own take by posting something about “dad guilt” — which, by the way, is a term I’ve never actually heard unironically. Another creator posts: “When he says he wants to do a fellowship subspecialty and you ask him if he still plans to work full time after having kids”.
The Health Disparities Women Are Talking About
Of course, we are particularly drawn to posts addressing the health inequities women face.
Take this video, which reads “On my way to tell him his period cramps aren’t even that bad”, or this one, which gives a nod to the pain women feel (and the response they often receive) when dealing with a debilitating condition like endometriosis.
Of course, as we know by now, women are frequently dismissed or gaslit when they express pain or discomfort, which is why the health-related takes on this trend hit too close to home.
Humor and Rage: The Emotional Complexity of the Trend
Yes, the trend can be super funny. But it’s not just fun and games. Have I spent time scrolling videos of this trend and cackling to myself about how creative and funny some of the takes are? Absolutely. This has truly been one of my favorite social media trends in recent memory.
But it’s not just about how wildly entertaining these videos are. They’re also eye-opening. There are so many problematic standards and unequal expectations that hurt women in all areas of their lives, from their relationships to their careers to their health, and this trend really puts it all in our faces.
Can This Trend Lead to Change?
Here’s the thing about women: We are consistently underestimated. While this social media trend may seem like silly TikTok content, it could actually symbolize our collective effort to highlight inequities. By raising awareness, we can start to change them.
Of course, now some men are trying to take over the trend and make it their own by posting the reverse (#MenInWomenFields), and honestly, it just sort of falls flat. This is something we, as people who have been hurt in so many ways by sexism and the patriarchy, have been needing. This is our trend. And yes, it’s funny and entertaining, but it’s also much more than that, and it ought to remain ours.
Zara Hanawalt is a freelance journalist and mom of twins. She's written for outlets like Vogue, Parents, MarieClaire, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Motherly, and many others. In her (admittedly limited!) free time, she enjoys cooking, reading, trying new restaurants, and traveling with her family.
