I'm thinking about a dog named Lucky. Lucky was a good dog and when I lost him this is the ad I placed. Lost Dog Three legs, one eye, missing right ear, broken tail, recently castrated Answered to the name Lucky.
I hope you see the irony of my story as it is very similar to the one you are telling. I don't believe you are that person. You need to put on your big person pants and stop all this woe is me attitude, At the job site you have about 6 seconds to make a first impression before they find reasons to reject you. Posture, attitude, dress, communication, your AA degree, don't put it down. That's an accomplishment. Ability to assimilate with the work force are all things they are looking for. This shows you are alert, motivated and someone with the enthusiasm to contribute to the profitability of the company. Believe me, it is all about the Benjamins . I can't tell you the number of interviews I did as a Department Manager at a retail store, where the candidate comes in with shorts and a sweatshirt, tattoo's around their neck, a downer attitude. Heck that doesn't even take 6 seconds.
You need to rebuild yourself. Be proud of yourself and what you are able to do. Accentuate the positive, avoid the negative. Be truthful but saying you're seeking a job where I have more opportunity would not be a lie would it? Saying you are willing to take classes,learn new challenges. My nephew flunked 10 driving tests. Guess what job he has now? Truck Driver. Whew. My son is very good with computers and he thought he would like a career in animation and game development. He chose to be a pool and spa installer in fact he worked on the Seahawk coaches pool, which led to his current job as an electrician. Use your computer. If you can use Google and learn other databases such as Nexis, advertise yourself as a internet researcher working from home. It is doable but you need to put in the hard work before hand.
I'm sorry for being harsh, but I want you to have the opportunity to succeed and the only way I could think of getting across to you that life is hard work, is for you to embrace it by not wanting to be like Lucky. Then worry about your gender problems as people here have told me, self confidence is one of the most important traits you need to "pass". Good luck Em.