Susie S. sent in this image from a print catalog she received from onlineshoes.com; it helpfully divides shoes into those for men’s and women’s work:
They have helpful color-coded symbols next to them–blue for men, pink for women–in case you’re confused.
UPDATE: Reader Craig wonders if this is a poorly-chosen abbreviation of a title such as “women’s work shoes and boots” and “men’w work shoes and boots,” similar to what you might see in terms of “men’s running shoes” and “women’s running shoes.”
I was less interested in what this particular catalog was saying than in what types of shoes we see associated with each category–the very clear gendering of nursing, for instance, something that hospitals in Vegas, at least, are trying to combat. Some are now referring to nurses as “medics” to try to make the job sound more masculine. The image provides a great visual of our assumptions about who does what kinds of work in that sense.
Also see these Australian shoes for kids–”maths” for boys, “drama” for girls.
