IELTS Writing Task 2 Topic 07: Is it right to exclude males or females from certain professions because of their gender?

Courtney Miller

23 min read

Updated On Dec 27, 2023

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In IELTS Writing Task 2, students are asked to write a formal essay of at least 250 words, in 4-5 paragraphs based on the given writing task 2 essay topics. The task is similar for both Academic and General Training with regards to the type of questions and the scoring, but the topics given for General Training will be slightly easier than Academic. Given below is an essay with sample answers on the topic – Is it right to exclude males or females from certain professions because of their gender? – that will help you to practise and get a good score.

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

Woman and men are commonly seen as having different strength and weaknesses. Is it right to exclude males or females from certain professions because of their gender?

Give reason for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Write at least 250 words.

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Question Analysis

This is quite a difficult question to answer because of the way it is phrased. In order to answer this question correctly we should analyse it carefully.

Keywords– Women and men/strengths and weaknesses

Micro-Key words– right to exclude/certain professions/because of gender

Instruction words– give reasons/relevant examples/own knowledge or experience

The first common mistake many students made was answering the question using the keywords and ignoring the micro-keywords. These students wrote an answer about the difference between men and women in the workplace and how certain jobs are better suited to men or women. This is not what the question asks.

The second thing most students did wrong was either not supporting their ideas with reasons or not, including examples from their own knowledge or experience. These students just listed lots of ideas about the difference between men and women in the workplace without fully explaining what they mean and how this is linked to the question.

A good answer would specifically address the micro-keywords i.e. is it right to exclude men or women from certain professions? The most important words here are right, exclude and certain.

Idea Generation

Reasons why it is right to exclude men or women from certain professions:

Most men do not have the skills to work in certain professions, such as a nanny.
Society does not accept men who work in certain professions, such as a beautician.
Some women do not have the physical attributes to work in certain professions, such as a soldier.
Society does not accept women who work in certain professions, such as a construction worker.

Reasons why it is not right to exclude men or women from certain professions:

It is unfair.
People should not be discriminated against because of their gender.
That view has no place in a modern, free society.
Excluding women from certain professions harms the economy.

We now need to think about which ideas to choose. I personally believe that women should not be excluded from any profession, but my personal feelings do not matter in an IELTS writing test. I should choose the ideas I feel confident explaining and supporting with examples.

I will therefore write about why I think it is right to exclude men or women from certain professions.

Structure

The task is to answer a direct question and it is therefore an opinion (agree/disagree) essay and I will follow this structure:

Paragraph 1- Introduction

Sentence 1- Paraphrase Question

Sentence 2- Thesis Statement

Sentence 3- Outline Statement

Paragraph 2- Supporting Paragraph 1

Sentence 1- Topic Sentence

Sentence 2- Explain Topic Sentence

Sentence 3- Example

Sentence 4- Concession Sentence

Paragraph 3- Supporting Paragraph 2

Sentence 1- Topic Sentence

Sentence 2- Explain Topic Sentence

Sentence 3- Example

Paragraph 4- Conclusion

Sentence 1- Summary

Model Essay 1 :

Women and men are commonly seen as having different strengths and weaknesses. Is it right to exclude males or females from certain professions because of their gender?

Males and females are often viewed as having differing skill sets. It is agreed that it is correct to exclude people from certain jobs on the basis of their gender, but only in very limited circumstances. This essay will first discuss how physical attributes prevent women from excelling in particular roles; secondly discuss how society at large rejects men from undertaking certain careers, followed by a reasoned conclusion.

For many years the general consensus in the armed forces is that women should not be allowed to participate in combat missions. This is because most women lack the brute strength required for this particular occupation and it is therefore right to prevent them from joining the ranks. For example, the American Army recently allowed some women to fight on the front line and the Department of Defence deemed the experiment a failure, due to lack of fighting effectiveness. Despite this, many women have fought in many wars, famously on the Eastern Front for Russia and the Viet Cong in Vietnam, so maybe it is men’s’ attitudes that prevent them performing rather than their stature.

Society has yet to accept men in many traditionally female positions, such as nanny or beautician. Businesses feel that it is fine to not hire men for these posts because most of their customers would not be willing to have a man perform that service. I personally know of one example when a friend failed at the interview stage when applying to become kindergarten teacher because he was the wrong sex.

To summarise, in limited circumstances it is just to prohibit people from certain occupations, but only if they cannot physically perform or if the general consensus is that it is a single sex post.

(288 words)

Model Essay 2 :

It is evident that the gender gap is closing in the vast majority of occupations in today’s society. However, some remain with the opinion that females and males are born to have differences in terms of their vocational preferences. Despite this, I would argue in this essay that it is wrong to exclude a certain gender from a certain occupation.

It is undoubtable that a certain gender could be more appreciated in some professions. It is mainly determined by the biological differences between males and females. For example, females are perceived to be more caring and nurturing by nature, so that they could be more suitable working in nurseries and hospitals; whereas, males are more likely to be employed in mining and construction industries because they are physically stronger. In those cases, the gender gap may remain in the short future.

However, for the vast majority of professions, making occupations more open to both genders has significant advantages. Different genders could bring different perspectives into work, which could generate more possibilities for a company’s development. For example, a male nurse could offer his unique experience to a female dominated team in order to promote a more holistic care to patients in both genders. Moreover, there is evidence that a mixed gender working environment is often proven to be more efficient. Therefore, companies could benefit from the different perspectives and efficiency that mixed gender teams bring.

To conclude, although some occupations remain to be female- or male-dominant, there are more advantages to allow both genders having the freedom of their vocational choices. Companies that facilitate this equality could benefit from the increased possibilities and efficiency.

[ Written by – Huan Ruan ]

(274 words)

Model Essay 03 :

There is a truth that the strengths and weaknesses of men and women quite differ due to the disparity in their genders and apparently, it dramatically affects their opportunities to do a specific work. However, I think that this reason is not strong enough to exclude males or females from certain professions just because of their genders and wherever possible, they should be given freedom of choice and gender equality in employment should be encouraged. On the one hand, the argument that supports the jobs’s orientation based on their genders remains commonly dominant because these males or females seem to have an apparent instinct and physical capability to excel other sex in accomplishing their jobs. For example: Women seem to have a predominant role in medical services thanks to their natural instinct of motherhood and feminity. Patients would certainly fancy having female nurses to look after them than male nurses because they enjoy the tenderness and the enthusiastic caring for the patients of these” white blouse fairies” with their miraculous skills of soothing the patients’ pain. Meanwhile, there are some special jobs requiring a great deal of physical strengths and persistence like coal sea-fare sailing and fishing, mineral mining or forest logging which used to be done mainly by men because they have shown their extraordinary abilities to work under high pressure and long-lasting endurance . On the other hand, in some occupations, the matter of making jobs easily accessible to both genders has brought about some practical advantages, not only for them but also the whole society. For instance: Female police officers may better deal with the domestic violence and child abuse in the families thanks to having a greater understanding of gender inequality and its adverse effects on the emotions of every members and better strategies to tackle the conflict than their male counterparts. Whereas, male kindergarten nannies probably have a better understanding of the characters of young boys, leading to helping them form a good dignity and a strong manner. Although these people only account for a little proportion of the whole labour force, we are obliged to respect their freedom of choice in pursuit of a career to bring about their job’s self-satisfaction and respond to various and abundant demands of the society. In conclusion, although the difference in physical abilities and emotional feelings between males and females has a large impact on the choice of jobs and the job assignment of the society, in most of cases, it is possible to allow men to undertake many female-dominated occupations and vice versa so that they can succeed in their chosen careers and serving plentiful requirements of the society..

(442 words)

Model Essay 4 :

Nowadays, when women and men become more equal than those in the past and more and more women are occupying many important positions in society, there is still suggestion that males and females should be excluded from some kinds of job. To a certain extent, I agree with this opinion. First, there are some professions only suitable for men, and one of which is construction work, for example. It is extremely difficult for a woman to climb between girders of Eiffel Tower and paint each of them. Or how can she stand hanging outside a skyscraper for cleaning glass windows? Another example can be found in military duty which probably cause soldiers lose their lives in battle field. It is said that what a woman have to do to serve her country is not sacrificing herself, but rather giving birth for future generation. Second, only women’s personality fit them particularly to nursing profession which requires great patience and sacrifice. It is hardly expected that a man characterized by aggressiveness and decisiveness is willing to pamper the elderly fully erratic. And with strong personality, almost no man accept helping old people with grooming and personal hygiene, which is widely regarded as a humble occupation. However, it is not recommended, in general, to discriminate between men and women in regards to their occupations. They should be equally granted opportunities with the aim of promoting their talent to the limit. As can be seen in practice, we used to witness some exemplary women being successful in science, two of them was Marie Curie awarded 1911 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and Sofia Vasilyevna Kovalevskaya, the first woman appointed to a full professorship in Northern Europe, and we have, at the present time, the most powerful woman politician from Germany, Angela Merkel. In conclusion, we only exclude males or females from a very few exceptional occupations. Otherwise it would be better to encourage equality of job opportunity between men and woman.

(326 words)

Model Essay 5 :

Woman and men are commonly seen as having different strength and weaknesses. Therefore, they might be fit for different kinds of job. But most people have the concept that some certain professions are only for one gender. So is it right to exclude males or females from certain professions because of their gender?Personally, I think it can be right or be wrong in certain situations. It’s absolutely right to exclude women from some dangerous and very hard works that need a lot of strength and energies such as building, transporting heavy items,…Woman’s body structure is different from man’s, there might be exceptions but I think that most women are weaker than men. Hard works can affect their health if they’re not strong enough, and it’s dangerous if the work causes any lasting injuries to their bodies. Morever, some professions require working late at night or working in secluded places. Women – main victims of violence and sexual harrassment – might be in peril. Unless they’ve prepared carefully to face with any dangers, women should not choose those professions. However, it can be wrong if people exclude males or females from some professions that they are actually good at. What do you think if you see a man making up for others or a woman playing football? Centuries ago, many people thought that women are not fit for intellectual jobs and there were schools for men only, women had to stay at home and do houseworks. Later, people opposed strongly when they saw a team of women played football because they thought that sports were not for females. And men were also criticized and looked down on if they were found sewing or cooking. Nowadays those negative thoughts have decreased but they haven’t totally disappeared. If the work is not very hard for them to do, if they’re interested in it and they have a flair for it, why don’t we let them do it? Only when they do something that they love can they become succcessful in the future. The better the workers are, the better results they bring. I think we should encourage any talented person to do whatever he/she is good at and we shouldn’t consider gender as a problem, it can help developing a nation. Some famous chiefs,make-up artists,… are not females, and some famous engineers, footballers,… are not males, but they can make their own fame and lead a happy, prosperous life. In conclusion, people should consider carefully how the jobs effect men or women before excluding them from certain professions.

(425 words)

Model Essay 6 :

There is no doubt that man and women possess different advantages as well as disadvantages. Thus, some people think that males or females should not be allowed to join several professions because of their gender. I myself disagree with this viewpoint. To begin with, I believe that we should not prohibit males or females from any jobs due to the following reasons. First of all, it is widely admitted that man or woman can now do jobs that has long been for the other sex only. For example, in the past, women were not allowed to join military in a lot of countries. However, nowadays, the percentage of women in the army has significantly increased. Especially, a lot of women are even becoming soldiers in the battle field like several female pilots of Qatar in the fight against the so-called Islamic State militants. Likewise, we are now witnessing more and more men who are taking part in specific professions that require the women’s skills like tailors, house-keepers, teachers at kindergartens, etc. Second of all, people believe that performance in jobs likely to be better with the participation of both men and women. It might be true that men and women effectively support each other as they have different strength and weaknesses. Interestingly, the working environment seems to be more lovely and flexible with the presence of both genders. In addition, it will not be fair if we exclude males or females from any jobs because we are trying to establish the gender equality. People now are getting opener and opener in assessing men and women. Therefore, grouping them in any professions seems to be an act that goes against efforts of building parity between men and women. However, some claim that women are not suitable for several tough jobs that have long been for men only because these professions require standards like strengths, endurance and strong will. I find it hard to agree because it is proved that women can contribute a lot in whatever role they play. They, for instance, might not be part of military fights, but they will be incredibly useful in preparations or assistances that are always essential and men can hardly bring out an equal performance. Therefore, there should not be stereotypes in this case no matter what gender they are. In conclusion, though males and females have different capacities, there is still room for them to show their strengths and assist the other sex. From my perspective, recruiters should keep an open mind toward men and women in order to choose employees that they are looking for.

(433 words)

Model Essay 7 :

Gender equality has always been a hot argument ever. Nowadays, men and women have a larger freedom of choosing their occupation. However, many consider that there are still types of work for males or females dominantly. Therefore, they tend to prevent males or females from certains posts because of their sex. In my opinion, I believe that it is not a sensible attitude. Nobody can argue that men have their own distinctive innate strength. It is often said that men are stronger than women so that men are usually employed in several hardwork such as labourer in construction site, fishman, gold miner, police officer, etc. On the other hand, women also have inborn advantages. They are supposed to be more minute and careful than men, which help them have detailed posts like sewer, fashion designer, nurse, teacher, etc. But this idea seem not to be practical todays. In the modern times, most of the careers, which are supposed to be for males dominantly, are done expertly by females and vice versa. For instance, there are a large number of famous male fashion designer in the world. Their fame and items has claimed that men are completely able to do female-dominated occupations with their passion and efforts. Moreover, men can do a post that is considered only for women – midwife. More and more male midwives are successful in helping mothers give birth to babies. Besides, a female police officer can be more sensitive to comprehend the situation or the motivation of a crime and have right decisions to deal with it. In conclusion, the occupation of a person depends on his liking, passion and fortes, not his inborn characteristics. The difference in terms of sex-based work is gradually fading away.

(289 words)

Model Essay 8 :

There have always been differences in the types of work men and women have done. However, the trend in modern times has been for both men and women to have greater freedom of choice in terms of employment. Some people might say that there is no need to go further. However, in my view, wherever possible, gender equality should be encouraged.

There may indeed be good arguments for allowing certain posts to remain predominantly male or female. Where all-male or all-female groups exist, there may be a need for related posts to be held by men and women respectively. Patients in all-female hospital wards, for example, would probably appreciate having female nurses to look after them. It could also be argued that certain jobs requiring a great deal of physical strength, coal mining or logging, for example, should continue to be done mainly by men.

However, in the vast majority of situations, making occupations more open to both genders has distinct advantages. Men and women can bring slightly different perspectives and approaches to a job. Female police officers, for example, may have a greater understanding of domestic violence and a better range of strategies for dealing with this problem. Male primary school teachers probably have a better understanding of the needs of young boys and can serve as good role models for them.

The changes that result from allowing men into female-dominated occupations and vice versa may be subtle, but they are far-reaching. However, to benefit the most from this development, it is important not to expect males and females to approach work in identical ways.

(266 words)

Model Essay 9 :

Born differently, women and men have their own roles to play in society. It is common for us to see more women in some certain professions, like nurse and teacher, while a larger number of men in other sectors. However, it would never be a wise choice to exclude certain gender in any profession.

To begin with, it is a matter of sex equality. Women have always been depicted as gentle and vulnerable, to the extent that such conventional views often make them be seen as weak or even inferior to men. Nevertheless, the situation has changed in modern society. Women began to appeal for the equal rights, insisting they can also do whatever males can do. Indeed, there is an increasing number in females soldiers, female engineers etc., the results of which turn out to prove that they can perform excellently in these sectors as well. If those woman choose to engage themselves in certain jobs, why should any authority deprive such right of them?

Moreover, the co-operation of women and men in one sector is also conducive to boosting the work efficiency. For instance, those male nurses can help to carry some heavy equipment in the hospitals, which would usually be an arduous task for females. Possessing some different innate natures, men and women can jointly make an achievement by taking advantages of their own strengths.

In fact, men and women working in the same profession can generate much more positive results that we may not expect. A kind of job cannot only be monopolised by one gender without a single person of the opposite sex, as it is not fair nor beneficial.

(275 words)

Model Essay 10 :

It has argued that there are a different pro and con of the male and female people for getting a job based on their physical strength and emotional characterisation. For my point of view, the strengths and weaknesses of gender depend on the particular jobs or works they have been applied to.

Firstly, the men seem to dominate to the work related to the strong physical bodies or movements. This is explained why most of the builders or instructors are the male workers. Furthermore, the male people are also suitable to the job which has a technology and engineering involvement such as electronics, telecommunication and others.

However, there are a lot of job, which women could overtake men in application. The job related to the society or health care of patients. It is agreed that the nurses or child care position might be good for women to apply than men. It might be because the women have stronger emotional and more connection to the child or to the patients.
Several jobs which cannot define which gender are better than others. For example, the kitchen works or chefs are the common works of women for everyday life. It seems to advantage for a woman. But actually, most of the professional chefs are the male domination.

In conclusion, it is hard to say that the men are better than the women or the women are better than the men in the professional carriers because of their gender. Some jobs might suitable for the men and others might good for the women. Males and females are equalled in the carrier application.

(268 words)

Model Essay 11 :

Gender has always been an issue for bot men and women in getting a job. Traditionally, men are the ones who went out to work to earn money to support their family, whereas women sat in the home and spent their time more on domestic chores. With time passes, more women have started to get involved almost in every professions that the males are already involved in. But there are certain professions which accept only a gender and exclude other.

Some people would argue that it is more common that men get involved in jobs which require physical strength but this is not the case with women. Because unlike the body system of a male, the female body system is comparatively different and it is unhealthy for the female body system to indulge in physically strenuous activity. The reason is it can cause severe muscular or even chemical changes in the female body system which may lead to certain diseases in their later life.

On the other hand, others would argue that the acceptance of employees should be based on a person’s personal interest, experience and knowledge but not on gender. For instance, form the very beginning, nursing was highly recommended and allowed only for females. But today, more males are interested and qualified in the field, so the superiors are also happy with employing more male nurses than female, particularly for dealing with male patients.

Besides that, there is no much work in the world which specifies only for a certain gender. For almost every job, whether it is high income or low income, both men and women have evenly indulged in it. For instance, there are both males and females who are working as cleaners which is a low income and there are both genders who are qualified in high income jobs such as doctor and engineer.

To sum up, the views support the argument that certain genders should and should not be excluded from certain professions. There are jobs that require hard work such as working on the construction site, doctors and engineers and light work such as graphic designing and office works. But it is more advisable for women to indulge more on light work to avoid physical illness, however, this does not mean that the males are obliged to work in physically demanding jobs while women work in less strenuous jobs. This is preferably depends on the strength and the situation of the job, and most importantly the person’s interest in it.

(417 words)

Model Essay 12 :

There have always been differences in the types of work men and women have done. However. the trend in modern times has been for both men and women to have greater freedom of choice in terms of employment. Some people might say that there is no need to go further. However. in my view, wherever possible, gender equality should be encouraged.

There may indeed be good arguments for allowing certain posts to remain predominantly male or female. Where all-male or all-female groups exist, there may be a need for related posts to be held by men and women respectively. Patients in all-female hospital wards, for example. would probably appreciate having female nurses to look after them. It could also be argued that certain jobs requiring a great deal of physical strength, coal mining or loggingI for example. should continue to be done mainly by men.

However, in the vast majority of situations, making occupations more open to both genders has distinct advantages. Men and women can bring slightty different perspectives and approaches to a job. Female police officers, for example. may have a greater understanding of domestic violence and a better range of strategies for dealing with this problem. Male primary school teachers probably have a better understanding ofthe needs of young boys and can serve as good role models for them.

(265 words)

Model Essay 13 :

Stepping in to the competitive world, women have set their foot in every walk of life. However, in much of the world some areas are still male-dominated. Are men impossibly holding their higher ascendancy above women? I believe that a great many people,especially men hold the answers that “ it is obviously true”. In my perceptions, success is in the hands of those who dare to walk on the path of fire and thorn to claim their talents. In other words, gender equality should be widely promoted in today’society, both males and females can assume their responsibility for any professions.
The first point to note is that society does not assign either males or females to do a certain kind of job and gender discrimination is no longer valuable, in comparison with the past. Modern community treats us the same social conditions and the same advanced education. That means we have more and full chances to develop ourselves in every area at highest level. Thus, the most skillful person will be appointed to an important post, no matter whether they are males or females. It is said that the 21st century marks an unmistakable progress in occupational segregation which has cracked many authorities’s brain. Emerging as a typical example of the success, Japanese government makes the best of reviving a crowded female workforce and promulgating the laws of openness in professions. History predicates that Japanese women, especially married have experienced a period of gender discrimination that they did not have any chances of promotion at work. It is extremely unfair and it is the root of commotions in Japanese community. Back up to the issue of occupational segregation, perhaps from now on, no politicians in any countries make the same mistake as Japanese ones in the past. It is crystal clear that politicians value peaceful labour above riots.
Secondly, no one has inborn merits that stand them in good stead. Professions in the fields of mathematics, computer science, the natural sciences and technology are for men and not for women. This attitude is far from being valid. According to a newest study, if a man finds himself working in a “female- oriented” job, he ends up earning 12.5 percent less than his male counterparts, whereas a woman who works in a “male-dominated” field earns 25.9 percent more than her female peers. So interestingly women in fact are earning more than men because of their less committing faults and their capacity of dealing with matters with accuracy and caution. Thus, what is the best solution for the thorny problem of making a more equal workforce? There is no way around but the labor pool must be balanced out by drawing from a supply of trained men or women to cover the skill gaps. But it is tough to achieve in reality if gender discrimination is alive. Therefore, it is time to exclude job stereotyping by gender from our community if we want to see men in the maternity ward and day care centers or women in trucking, construction and heavy machinery operations.
It would be great to achieve an ideal employment balance on a national scale and we believe in the right direction of our government for a workforce that never sleeps.

(541 words)