Since the dawn of human civilization, men were assigned the role of hunting, and women were assigned the role of gathering. More and more, women are challenging those traditional gender roles.

Hard hats, steel-toe boots and leadership positions are no longer reserved for men, as women increasingly take their claim in male-dominated fields.

“There's still a lot of work that women do that is kind of invisible and uncompensated,” said Dr. Fangheyue Ma, a sociology professor at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU).

For generations, social expectations shaped career paths for both men and women.

Ma said the biggest shift that defined career paths for both genders was the Industrial Revolution. Beforehand, everyone worked from home. Once factories started opening, men would leave to do labor work and women would stay at home completing household chores.

The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and 1970s opened the door for women to enter fields long dominated by men.

The long term effects of the movement are now seen in job markets and higher education today.

Universities across the U.S. have seen a shift in education. Roughly 60 percent of bachelor’s degrees are earned by women. Thousands of female students out of that 60 %percent earned a degree in male-dominated fields such as construction, engineering and manufacturing.

“I remember being a sophomore, and I was taking my introduction to construction classes. And I was in one of them, and I thought, ‘Wow, am I going to be the only girl?’ Because I have all these guys around me. And I was just very intimidated by all of it,” said Kiley Brown, a junior majoring in construction management at FGCU.

Women hold roughly 11percent of positions in construction management. There was a 3 percent increase in the field within the last few years. Many of the positions women hold in construction are office jobs because of the assumption that women are not strong enough to do physical labor. Although the field has more to offer than physical labor positions.

Brown was inspired to major in construction management because the field has a variety of opportunities and allows her artistic abilities to thrive.

“Over the years, I really had to just prove myself that this is where I belong, and this is exactly what I want to do. And that's only built my confidence for a lot of things,” said Brown.

Many labor and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) jobs are going through a slow growth of women entering the field, but business careers are progressively shrinking the gender gap. Careers in logistics have over 40 percent of women who hold positions in the field.

Women are starting to gravitate to supply chain management. Employers are hiring more women due to the need for new ideas on innovations and bringing a new voice to many companies.

Maija Ochs, a junior at FGCU, decided to major in supply chain management because of her father’s business selling radios. Ochs learned many skills shadowing her father and during an internship with Eaton, an electrical manufacturing company.

“Being able to do the exact same thing as my male coworker and have almost better ideas and be listened to and respected is really validating,” said Ochs.

While women are pursuing degrees in male-dominated fields, many challenges do not end after graduation. In the workplace, many women encounter harassment and discrimination.

“There's always the person who hugs too much. Always inappropriate to interview. There's always the person who closes the door when they shouldn't and stands too close. Unfortunately, you can't get away from it,” said Dr. Pelin Ciris, a biomedical engineer and an engineering professor at FGCU.

Harassment is the biggest issue women face in all career paths. The “me too” international movement sheds light on sexual harassment and violence stories. Many stories share what happens in the workplace.

Many women follow “me too” because the movement informs and reassures them that they are not alone.

The more stories shared revolving around harassment, the more attention is brought to the topic. The more attention brought to the topic, the more effort is made to end harassment in the workplace.

“Fewer of us [women] are in STEM,” said Ciris. “You’re prey, so you get preyed on.”

Countless women have faced comments and actions from coworkers or employers that harm their mental health and career. The risk of harassment is higher in male-dominated fields, though it can occur in any workplace.

Beyond harassment, many women face discrimination in the gender pay gap.

Ma said a woman who holds the same position as a man makes roughly 20 percent less than him. This pay gap results from the motherhood penalty.

The motherhood penalty is a pay penalty targeted towards women due to bias. Employers believe that when a woman is young, married or has children, she will be less committed to the company. The bias gives women a “penalty” in their earnings the second they start a career.

“I kind of had a good chunk of my career already behind me by the time I became a mother. So, then I could go, ‘I'm going to leave the scientist job now. I'm going to teach.’ Because I have time with my kids who I desperately searched for,” said Ciris. “I could not continue doing that job because I traveled for work constantly, and most of it was International. It's just not compatible. I would have had a penalty.”

All women receive this pay gap and acquisition based on the nurturing role women have held for centuries. Ma said a woman who does not have children can earn the same wage as a male colleague after working for the same company for about 10 years.

The pay gap has gradually been declining, but the motherhood penalty that many employers hold affects the gender pay gap from disappearing.

Women continue to fight against stereotypes and standards in the workforce, but still find themselves chained to the social concept of the "second shift."

The "second shift" is the unpaid labor done at home after a paid work shift. This shift falls heavily on married women with children. Women in these roles take care of their children, clean the house, cook dinner and fill many other household jobs.

“Nowadays, women and men have the equal opportunity to go outside of their own household, to work and apply for the same jobs,” said Ma. “But one of the things that hasn't changed is that when they return home, it is still considered a woman's job to do things within their own household.”

The "second shift" is the most unrecognized form of social standards because it is the traditional home life for many women. Few men have stepped into this caregiver role, as the social construct has been around for centuries. This duty may never end for women, but it is important to recognize the women who do the uncompensated work for their families.

Change is happening slowly but steadily, as women continue to enter male-dominated industries.

“I would say to all those girls out there who really want to get at it and go into this field, just never stop trying,” said Brown. “There's always going to be a door open. Always going to be another tomorrow for you, so just keep trying and make a difference.”

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