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Gender and Sexuality in Male-Dominated Occupations pp 85–125Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Occupational Choice, Gender and Sexual Identity

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Abstract

Given the very low numbers of women who enter male-dominated occupations within the transport and construction sectors, women who do so might be considered, in statistical terms at least, ‘exceptional’ women; therefore, it is pertinent to consider their motivations in making gender atypical choices. This chapter addresses the question of why women enter traditionally male occupations, and whether there are differences according to sexual orientation. Discussions with interviewees on the reasons they entered male-dominated work uncovered a considerable degree of reflection on the relationship between their gender identity, alongside other identities, and their decisions to take up a gender atypical occupation: the relationship between work choice and identity is examined in the first part of this chapter. The second part of the chapter examines further the relationship between work and identity, drawing on notions of embodiment, to understand the ways in which heterosexual and lesbian women articulate and experience their gender and sexual identities in the workplace.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The Routemaster bus is an iconic design of bus, with an open platform at the rear, that operated on regular routes in London from 1950 to 2005.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Business and Management, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK

    Tessa Wright

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  1. Tessa Wright
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Wright, T. (2016). Occupational Choice, Gender and Sexual Identity. In: Gender and Sexuality in Male-Dominated Occupations. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-50136-3_4

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