They’re Up to the Task : More workers are finding careers traditionally held by the opposite sex. An O.C. job fair will give women an idea of what’s out there.

Every time he picks up the phone, Ross Goo breaks expectations and stereotypes.

As a male secretary in a female-dominated profession, Goo often encounters surprised callers. Visitors to the office also take a step back.

After four years as an administrative assistant in the administration office at UC Irvine, Goo, 31, remains unfazed. He quickly and efficiently handles each call and chats with visitors as they wait to see one of his two supervisors.

Goo is a member of a growing minority of men and women in jobs traditionally held by the opposite sex. Only 1% of secretaries are male, according to 1995 U.S. Department of Labor statistics.

Though there are no overall figures on how many men and women hold nontraditional jobs, their numbers are increasing as the work world changes, said Barbara Sanford, acting regional administrator of the Region IV Women’s Bureau for the U.S. Department of Labor in San Francisco.

“A nontraditional job is one in which less than 25% of people are the opposite sex,” Sanford said. “Women [and men] are finding pockets of jobs that they hadn’t thought of or been exposed to before.”

Some jobs considered nontraditional for men--such as secretary, registered nurse, child-care provider, elementary school teacher, receptionist or flight attendant--are seeing a slight increase in male workers, Sanford said.

The number of women in nontraditional jobs is also increasing.

Besides making inroads in professional careers such as medicine, law and business management, females are beginning to enter the upper ranks of blue-collar work. The numbers are increasing slightly for women in jobs such as construction, firefighting, auto repair, public safety, farming, plumbing and airline navigating and piloting.

“Today’s work climate is good for men and women who want nontraditional occupations,” said Nan Chapman, a sociology instructor at Huntington Beach’s Golden West College.

The school is holding a job fair Saturday that will spotlight nontraditional careers for women, including the trades, construction, auto technologies and law enforcement. Men are welcome to attend.

“People aren’t shocked anymore when a woman chooses to be a doctor,” Chapman said. “It’s fortunate that more people feel they can follow their interests, regardless of their sex, because it makes for happier people.”

The younger generation coming up through high schools and colleges today are more accepting of males and females in nontraditional occupations despite gender domination, said Belen Gent, project coordinator of Golden West’s STEP-UP grant, a federal program designed to prepare women for trade occupations.

What draws men and women to nontraditional occupations differs for each sex.

“Women are drawn to traditionally male occupations for better pay and more interesting work,” Chapman said.

Money is a determining factor for many women, Sanford agreed.

“Nontraditional jobs for women tend to pay more,” she said. “There are also a lot of women who prefer to work outside and develop themselves physically.”

Many women have talent in nontraditional areas, said Deborah Sanchez, operations supervisor with the Private Industry Council in the Santa Ana Work Center, which provides women with career guidance, including assistance in securing nontraditional occupations.

“There are women who have always liked to work with their hands and are interested in these nontraditional occupations,” she said. “They don’t want to stay in a stereotypical role and do what is expected of them. They want to do what they truly love.”

Though Carla Lolkus’ job as a cable installer involves crawling around in attics, cutting holes in walls and being careful not to fall through ceilings, she finds it challenging, fulfilling work.

“Some of the work is dirty and not too appealing to most women, but it’s fun for me,” said Lolkus, 39, who works for Checkpoint Communications in Costa Mesa. She chose a job in the telecommunications field because she didn’t want to get stuck behind a desk.

According to Department of Labor statistics, 16% of the workers in the telephone installation and repair field are women.

For men choosing female-dominated professions, money isn’t usually a factor, because female jobs traditionally pay less than male-dominated positions. Experts say many men choose certain professions simply because they are drawn to that type of work.

Marty Jones, 33, began working in a hospital in high school. When it came time to choose a profession, he opted for a career as a nurse. Nearly 8.7% of registered nurses are male, according to Department of Labor statistics.

“I like direct patient care, so I chose bedside nursing,” said Jones, who works in the intensive care unit at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange. “Being able to help patients and see the results of your efforts is really rewarding. Fortunately, the money in this field has also improved in the last few years.”

Many men and women who choose nontraditional occupations were influenced by role models.

“I had three sisters, but none of them were interested in mechanics and working with their hands like I was,” said Lolkus, the cable installer. “My dad taught me what a crescent wrench was and how to change a car’s oil and do a brake job. Because of his influence, I haven’t let gender stop me from choosing a career I enjoy.”

Though nontraditional fields are opening up for men and women, individuals who choose to enter a field dominated by the opposite sex face unique challenges.

For women, the challenges inherent in working in a male-dominated field include the constant need to prove themselves, said Chapman, the professor.

“The old saying a woman has to be twice as smart to go half as far is not that far off,” she said. “It’s a challenge for many women in nontraditional jobs to be taken seriously. The harassment issue is very real, and the old boys’ network excludes women. A lot of business goes on over a beer or a softball game.”

Male secretary Goo is disconcerted at being left out of kaffeeklatsches.

“I find myself defensive when I hear women having small group discussions off to the side,” he said. “Although it probably isn’t about me, as a man, my first assumption is that it is.”

Other challenges facing women in nontraditional jobs include being looked upon as competent and capable, Sanchez said.

“People assume a male plumber can fix their plumbing,” she said. “But when a woman shows up to fix a broken pipe, she has to show she can do the job before trust develops.”

Discrimination is illegal, but it still exists, experts say.

“Although the majority of men I’ve worked with have been helpful and supportive and have outwardly treated me as an equal, I’ve encountered men who flat-out say that they don’t think women should be in this field,” Lolkus said.

The challenges of working in a female-dominated occupation are a little more complex for men.

“Men face the challenge of being in a lower-status occupation than is traditionally associated with males, which can lead to a drop in self-esteem,” Chapman said. “Another major challenge for men is the fact that women have a very different work style. Women are generally more oriented toward what is going on emotionally, while men simply want to get the job done.”

Job requirements also reflect gender characteristics, Goo has found.

“What are considered traditionally women’s characteristics have taken over the position of secretary,” he said. “Gender traits such as being nurturing, understanding and empathetic have become synonymous with the job position. I find this aspect of being an administrative assistant difficult because I was never taught to be supportive and empathetic.

“Women secretaries automatically make sure visitors are comfortable and that their bosses get to appointments on time, while male secretaries like myself are still a little confused. I see my role differently than many women do. I feel it’s my job to meet my boss halfway.”

Considering the extra challenges a nontraditional job presents, men and women who succeed in these fields find their careers especially satisfying.

“Men working in a nontraditional job no doubt have a great deal of job satisfaction because they are working where they want to be, not where they are supposed to be,” Chapman said. “Women who succeed and do well in nontraditional jobs get a great deal of satisfaction for having met the challenge and the added benefit of making more money.

The satisfaction level can be great, agreed Labor’s Sanford, who tells of one former welfare mother who became a carpenter.

“She pulled herself and her children out of poverty, and they are now living in a house that she built.”