[alliecat]

Coal mining is a historic industry; we should not be pushing anybody into coal mining (Looking at you, Australia)

I’m assuming you picked coal mining because it’s an example of a dirty, dangerous position in an industry that’s rightfully stigmatised by most modern countries.

If you’re suggesting that we shouldn’t push women into dangerous jobs but it’s okay to push men into them, then I would counter that we should make dangerous jobs safer for everybody and no, there’s no fundamental reason that women should not have the opportunity to work in these industries.

[apatters]

> If you’re suggesting that we shouldn’t push women into dangerous jobs but it’s okay to push men into them

No I didn't suggest this.

My question was not about energy policies. Let's substitute coal miners for waste collectors (colloquially referred to as garbage men, because 99% of them are male), and ask the question again.

Garbage collection is male dominated -- should we push more women into becoming garbage collectors?

[saalweachter]

If I'm reading https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat18.htm correctly, ~82% of waste collectors are male.

On the other hand, ~42% of meat processors are women; that is certainly a dirty, dangerous unfun job.

The real male-dominated industries are lawn care, sewage treatment, and repair and maintenance. Coal mining is too small an industry to report demographics, but mining as a whole is "only" ~88% male.

[izzydata]

We shouldn't push anyone into anything. Why is it ok for a man to be a garbage collector and not a woman? That sounds like gender inequality to me. You can't have it both ways.

[LyndsySimon]

I don't think anyone is saying that's it's "not OK" for a woman to be a garbage collector. Some are saying that the fact that women are generally not garbage collectors is a problem.

I honestly don't know where I stand on that. While I absolutely believe that much of the disparity in preference is cultural, I'm apt to believe that some of it is biological. Further, I'm not sure eradicating that cultural bias is beneficial.

[C1sc0cat]

Its also highly paid at least in the west even more so when you get to supervisory roles eg £2k for a single 10 hour weekend shift for a pit deputy.