I worked as a cashier for four years before switching over to stocking. I would never cashier again, unless of course my family was destitute and it was the only job I could get. It's boring, very hard on the knees, feet, and back, and you get the benefit of dealing with the public. Everyone has to get food, so that means you get to deal with every sort of person out there, and you have to have patience of Job and a good attitude to last very long.
There are a few men that cashier where I work, but there are definitely more women. I don't know why they tend to last longer than the guys, they just do.
As far as pay goes, the first company I worked for paid their cashiers like shit. Therefore, they got all the high school kids who were more interesting in talking and flirting with each other than working; no adult could have supported a family on that wage. And they always wondered why customers complained about the service
The company I currently work for pays cashiers a lot better, but only if you were hired before a certain date. Cashiers hired after that date make several dollars an hour less now; our benefits are being slowly stripped away and that includes decent pay.