Gender Support Disparities in a Majority-Female Profession

Abstract

AbstractTheory and empirical evidence establish gender disparities in work pay and promotion trajectories, particularly in majority-male workplaces. Workplace support’s role, particularly in majority-female workplaces, in facilitating gendered occupational trajectories is less clear. Authors used a statewide sample of child welfare workers (N = 1,501) to examine gender differences in support and analyzed qualitative interviews with a subsample of participants (n = 37) to explore the role of gender in support perceptions. Analyses indicated that men perceived more supervisory and organizational support, whereas gender was not related to coworker support. The qualitative analysis indicated that receiving support required initiative. Men took initiative because they felt entitled. Many women expressed reservations, often warranted from experience, about initiating support to avoid bothering others and to honor workplace hierarchy. Men’s initiative allowed them access to support, thus increasing propensity toward job success. This study indicates that gender differences in workplace support may contribute to producing a self-perpetuating system of structural inequality.