Women in 'men's' work: An issue of identity

Abstract

The author argues that a major constraint for a woman attempting to gain employment in traditionally male trades in Australia is a disparity between the gender identity of the woman and the work cultural identity of the workplace. Potential women tradespersons are confronted by a work identity with characteristics based in a traditional concept of being male. His contention is, that such work contexts serve to confirm doubts that such women harbour, concerning themselves as tradespersons, and to regenerate prior beliefs about the appropriateness of the traditional divisions common to these forms of work. In support of this view, he refers to two earlier studies; the first on gender identity and activity preference in young children and the second on the characteristics of the work cultures of traditional male trades. © 1996 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.