Four Non-Traditional Occupations for Women

Abstract

This chapter introduces the four non-traditional, professional occupations for women considered in detail in the latter chapters of the book. All of these occupations have been the subject of qualitative research by the author: managers in the Civil Service, academics, engineering professionals in the construction industry, and priests in the Church of England. Although they are all male-dominated, each of these occupations presents a different example of occupational segregation. The feminisation of the Civil Service was accompanied by the introduction of vertical segregation, with women remaining predominantly at the bottom of the organisation and excluded from managerial positions. Academia has not experienced feminisation. In fact there has been relatively very little shift in the numbers of women working in this profession. However, as with the Civil Service very strong vertical segregation exists, with men in numerical dominance at the top of the hierarchy. Both the Civil Service and academia would appear to have organisational structures that should allow the overcoming of obstacles to women’s inclusion. Therefore, their continued gender segregation would suggest that informal mechanisms and the male-dominated nature of their organisational culture play an important part in their lack of change.