Some fantastic conversations going on in the comments here and I think like anything it's not all as simple as we'd like to make out. Every country is in a different place regarding equality as well. Growing up in 80s UK with all the talk of the glass ceiling for women in the work place, means that by the time I reached working age many of those inequalities had been overcome. Now women had the chance to move up the ladder and take on jobs normally considered male only, if they chose to. Then we realised that while they could, they weren't always choosing to, so those that did would then feel out of place in a male dominated workplace. The same went for men choosing to work in female dominated workplaces.
Something I did experience in my early working life was sexual harassment when in a male dominated workplace and raising awareness of that not being acceptable was likely the next step.
As your conversation with @melbourneswest highlighted, I think there is more at play here than sexual discrimination when it comes to failures in workplaces. The medical industry is good example. Putting aside the fact that more males choose to be doctors than females and more females choose to be nurses than males (this could be lingering from our traditions or a difference in what women and men gravitate towards with regards the amount of studies needed), it's still a great example of an over worked and under paid workforce. These people are caring for the sick and injured, often lives are in their hands, yet they are expected to work crazy hours and function with little rest and down time. Just look at what internships require from doctors! No wonder mishaps happen and the solution isn't to make sure they are better staffed so they can rest, but instead to put more paperwork and hoop jumping in place!
Correct, I've also chosen in my early career to work in female dominated industries and I have also chosen to work in male dominated industries working as Labourer, truck driver, store hands moving across to direct care work in disability, human services etc.
Work is work and from experience there is no difference to how work place stress is felt and I feel as a society we place more emotional stress on women and expect more from them in roles and pay them less. Physical labour has always been an easier role for me IMO but emotional work is more rewarding and achieves more. If you help people out of their troubles they go out and positively contribute to society through gaining employment.
I prefer physical labour for its lack of mental stress, but I think that there is still this expectation that men will be more capable due to their strength. However, I agree, emotional work can be more rewarding for the positive impacts; even more stressful if you get a negative client/customer, though. Something else that happens more often than it should in the medical industry...