The Institute of Development Studies and Partner Organisations
Browse

Women Perceptions of ‘Masculine’ Technical Careers: A Comparative Study of Women In ‘Feminine’ And ‘Masculine’ Employment Occupations in the City of Gweru, Zimbabwe

Download (542.09 kB)
journal contribution
posted on 2024-09-05, 23:32 authored by Tawanda Runhare
Female under-representation in science and technology) is found in societies the world over. This study investigated and compared the perceptions of 120 Zimbabwean women in non-technical and technical occupations, focusing on those jobs usually dominated by males. A survey, based on a closed- and open-ended questionnaire was employed to gather both quantifiable and qualitative data on non-technical and technical women’s career aspirations, job satisfaction and perceptions towards females in masculine ’ technical jobs. The main findings of the study were that: education and public opinion appeared to limit women's career choices to non-technical jobs; women in non-technical jobs started employment with higher job satisfaction than those in technical jobs, but this reversed with time due to work experiences; and women exposed to females occupying (\masculine j technical positions were more positive to females in such technical jobs than those exposed to purely' feminine’ or ‘masculine’ work environments. In view of these findings, recommendations are made for gender sensitive interventions involving education, employers and the public.

A ZJER gender article.

History

Publisher

Human Resources Research Centre (HRRC); University of Zimbabwe

Citation

Runhare, Tawanda (2003) Women Perceptions of ‘Masculine’ Technical Careers: A Comparative Study Of Women In ‘Feminine’ And ‘Masculine’ Employment Occupations in the City of Gweru, Zimbabwe, ZJER vol.15, no.3. Harare, Mt. Pleasant: HRRC

IDS Item Types

Article

Copyright holder

University of Zimbabwe

Country

Zimbabwe

Language

en

Identifier ISSN

1013-3445

Usage metrics

    University of Zimbabwe Social Sciences Research

    Categories

    No categories selected

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC