How Women Engineers Do and Undo Gender: Consequences for Gender Equality
Article Author: Powell, Abigail, Bagilhole, Barbara & Dainty, Andrew
Date of publication: 2009
Title of article or chapter: How Women Engineers Do and Undo Gender: Consequences for Gender Equality
Name of Journal or Book: Gender, Work & Organization.
Name of Publisher:
Page numbers of article or chapter: Vol. 16, No. 4, pp. 411-428
This article discusses the image of engineering as a masculine profession and the perception that engineering in unsuitable for women. While various strategies have been used to try and increase the number of women entering engineering education and employment, their success has been limited. At the same time it can be argued that the way ‘gender’ is done in work can help diminish or increase inequality between the sexes.
Etzkowitz et al. (2000) found that women face a series of gender-related barriers to success in male – dominated careers. Women are typically viewed as ‘honorary men’ or ‘flawed women’ for attempting to participate in fields traditionally dominated by men. Furthermore, Evetts (1997) writes that if the woman is an efficient, competent manager she is likely to be judged unfeminine, but if she demonstrates the supposedly female qualities of care and sensitivity she is like to be assessed either an inappropriate inefficient manager or as a good female manager.
Cohen and Tyler (2007) term this process of ‘purification’, whereby women are constructed as an organisational resource, available and accessible to all.
Gherardi (1994) suggests that when women are actually accepted into a traditionally masculine environment, they are often made the object of displays that typify the community of men, a symbolic ‘slap on the back’ for example.
In the case of the women in engineering, they must continuously manage the tension between personal and professional identities that are at odds with another. Some individuals cope with this by leaving mainstream employment, while other may, consciously or
Date of publication: 2009
Title of article or chapter: How Women Engineers Do and Undo Gender: Consequences for Gender Equality
Name of Journal or Book: Gender, Work & Organization.
Name of Publisher:
Page numbers of article or chapter: Vol. 16, No. 4, pp. 411-428
This article discusses the image of engineering as a masculine profession and the perception that engineering in unsuitable for women. While various strategies have been used to try and increase the number of women entering engineering education and employment, their success has been limited. At the same time it can be argued that the way ‘gender’ is done in work can help diminish or increase inequality between the sexes.
Etzkowitz et al. (2000) found that women face a series of gender-related barriers to success in male – dominated careers. Women are typically viewed as ‘honorary men’ or ‘flawed women’ for attempting to participate in fields traditionally dominated by men. Furthermore, Evetts (1997) writes that if the woman is an efficient, competent manager she is likely to be judged unfeminine, but if she demonstrates the supposedly female qualities of care and sensitivity she is like to be assessed either an inappropriate inefficient manager or as a good female manager.
Cohen and Tyler (2007) term this process of ‘purification’, whereby women are constructed as an organisational resource, available and accessible to all.
Gherardi (1994) suggests that when women are actually accepted into a traditionally masculine environment, they are often made the object of displays that typify the community of men, a symbolic ‘slap on the back’ for example.
In the case of the women in engineering, they must continuously manage the tension between personal and professional identities that are at odds with another. Some individuals cope with this by leaving mainstream employment, while other may, consciously or