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You are here: About NTOs > Myths and Facts > Myth 6

Myth 6
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Women are not strong enough to do heavy labor.

FACT: The strength requirements for nontraditional jobs are often exaggerated. Many nontraditional jobs are less physically demanding than housework, and many traditional women's jobs, such as nursing and waitressing, are just as physically demanding as some nontraditional jobs. Moreover, the Occupation Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires that special equipment be provided for every heavy job regardless of whether they are being done by men or women. In addition, mechanization continues to decrease the level of physical demand of many jobs. Finally, while the average man is stronger than the average woman, some women are stronger than some men. Women have excellent lower-body strength and with training can develop strong upper-body muscles as well.

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Adapted from the Orientation to Nontraditional Occupations for Women (ONOW) Curriculum of the Ohio Department of Education; the Women in Highway Construction manual of the U.S. Departments of Transportation and Labor; 20 Facts on Women Workers (1990), U.S. DOL Women's Bureau; and 1993 Handbook on Women Workers: Trends and Issues, U.S. DOL Women's Bureau.
 
 
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