> I have to point out that your nursing/teaching example is a terrible one, as nurses and teachers aren't considered the "professionals" in their field - that w

> I have to point out that your nursing/teaching example is a terrible one, as nurses and teachers aren't considered the "professionals" in their field - that would go to the traditionally male dominated fields of doctors and professors. I would disagree -- both doctors and nurses are considered every bit as professional as each other (these days nurse practitioners are getting more responsibilities than ever before), and both work in a field where science and technology are widely used. Are you saying that somehow, all the nurses were told when they were younger, "You can't become a doctor, you have to become a nurse?" Or could it be that they chose the nursing profession because they can work part-time more, and have slightly more defined work hours and less middle-of-the-night calls than doctors?