Female-dominated Workplaces Research Articles

Participation of Danish and immigrant cleaners in a 1-year worksite intervention preventing physical deterioration

Worksite health promotion is seldom offered to workers who are low-educated and multi-ethnic, possibly due to an assumption that they are more reluctant to participate. Furthermore, little has been done to promote health at female-dominated workplaces. The main aim of this study was to investigate differences in participation among immigrant and Danish cleaners throughout a 1-year randomised controlled study tailored to cleaners and carried out in predominantly female workplaces. No significant differences in ethnicity were found in consent and participation throughout the 1-year intervention. Dropout was equally distributed among Danish and immigrant cleaners. This study indicates that a worksite health promotion intervention among a female-dominated, high-risk occupation such as cleaning can be equally appealing for Danes and immigrants. Practitioner Summary: This study provides insight about participation of Danish and immigrant cleaners in a worksite health promotion intervention in a predominantly female occupation. For attaining high participation and low dropout in future worksite health promotion interventions among cleaners, the intervention ought to not only target the ethnic background of the workers, but also to be specifically tailored to the job group.

The relationship between gender segregation in the workplace and long-term sickness absence in Sweden

The aim of the study is to investigate whether the gender composition in workplaces is related to long-term sickness absence (LSA). We start off with Kanter's theory on ''tokenism,'' suggesting an increased risk of stress among minority groups (tokens), which, in turn, might increase the risk of ill health and LSA. The dataset consists of information obtained from the Swedish level of Living Survey (LNU) and the Swedish Establishment Survey (APU), linked to register-based data from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency. The longitudinal data is representative for the Swedish population and consists of 496 women and 566 men, aged 20-55 at baseline. Our study group consisted of employed persons in 1991 and we analyze, by means of piecewise constant intensity regressions, the first entry into LSA with a follow-up period of nine years. Compared with women in gender-integrated workplaces, women's risk of LSA is most elevated at both extremely male-dominated (0-20% females) and extremely female-dominated workplaces (80-100% females), although the result among women in the most male-dominated group did not reach statistical significance at the 5% level. Men's risk seems less varied by gender composition. The present study suggests that the gender composition in the workplace has an impact on the risk of LSA, especially among women. Our findings lend no support for Kanter's theory on the effects of being a token. Most likely, women's and men's different status positions have an impact on the different associations found.

Survival strategies of male nurses in rural areas of Japan

This study seeks to describe the survival strategies of male nurses in Japanese rural areas. Interviews were conducted with 12 male nurses who described their occupational experiences. The modified grounded theory approach was used for the data collection and analysis. The survival strategies of these male nurses can be categorized into four types: (i) giving priority to the achievement of financial security; (ii) agreeing to a dependent relationship with doctors; (iii) maintaining one's male identity through supporting the female nurses; and (iv) making an appeal to the significance of men in the female-dominated nursing profession. The survival strategies that were used by the male nurses were subtle, allowing them to influence indirectly both the female nurses and the doctors. These findings contribute to our understanding of the experiences of male nurses, a gendered minority in a female-dominated workplace, and encourage gender equality in the nursing profession.

Gender differences in pay among recent graduates: private sector employees in Ireland

In this paper we seek to investigate the role of different factors in accounting for the differences in earnings among recent graduates working in the private sector in Ireland. Three years after graduation there is a pay gap of 8 per cent in hourly wages between male and female graduates in the private sector and a 4 per cent non-significant gap in the public sector. Our analyses suggest that there are four main factors behind the pay gap in the private sector: first, differential returns to educational capital for male and female graduates; second, differential returns to employment experience for male and female graduates; third, gender differences in field of study, and differences in the rewards attached to these fields; fourth, working in a female-dominated workplace, which has a negative influence on earnings for both men and women but predominantly affects women.

Comparing working conditions and physical and psychological health complaints in four occupational groups working in female-dominated workplaces

Dominant theories of working conditions and their effects on poor employee health have been criticized for failing to consider how psychosocial factors interact and how such relationships may differ across occupational groups. This paper examines the associations between psychosocial factors and physical and psychological health complaints while at the same time taking into account differences between occupational groups in female-dominated professions. Four female-dominated occupational groups were included: nurses, health care assistants, cleaners, and dairy industry workers. The relationships between influence, emotional and quantitative demands, social support, back pain, and behavioural stress were examined using structural equation modelling. Results supported a group-specific model: the overall pattern remained the same across groups while psychosocial factors had different impacts on poor health and interacted differently across groups. The results also indicated links between psychosocial factors and poor physical health. The study confirmed the importance of differentiating between female-dominated occupations rather than talking about women's working conditions as such. The study also emphasized the importance of considering psychosocial risk factors when examining physical health, in this case back pain.

The Australian Home-Front Novel of the Second World War: Genre, Gender and Region

Discusses manifestations of the home-front novel established and exemplified by Dymphna Cusack and Florence James's Come In Spinner: populist in aspiration and style, focussed on a female-dominated workplace, and portraying a city transformed by, yet almost hermetically sealed off from, the military conflict to the north.' These novels 'have at their centre a version of the Australian wartime city that offers a significant variation on literary convention, and in particular on a strong tradition of pastoral (and anti-pastoral) in war literature. Closely related to the foregrounding of the urban in these works are issues of gender and sexuality, as the wartime city serves both as a counterpoint to the masculine world of the military and as a space that offers new possibilities, and dangers, for young women.'

‘It Never Struck Me as Female’: Investigating Men's Entry into Female-dominated Occupations

Whilst occupational segregation by sex remains the most pervasive aspect of the labour market, some men cross gender boundaries to work in female-dominated jobs. This article explores how men who do ‘women's work’ articulate reasons for moving into such jobs. Drawing on testimonies from a purposive sample of ten British men working in non-traditional jobs, we present personal testimonies and insights that challenge existing accounts of why men enter female-dominated work places. Following Bradley, four explanations are suggested for why these men opted to do non-traditional work. They are: labour market changes; role models; possibility of different masculinities; and career ambition. We argue that existing explanations are simplistic and unable to make sense of the contingent aspects of working life that account for why men choose to pursue jobs currently dominated by women.

Sickness absence in female- and male-dominated occupations and workplaces

Previous research suggests that both men's and women's level of sickness absence may be systematically related to the gender composition of their workplace as well as of their occupational category. The number of studies is, however, low and the composition of the occupational category has often been used as a proxy for the composition of the workplace. This paper employs a large data set broadly representative of the employed population of Norway. The data make it possible to take workplace and occupation simultaneously into account. Thus, the relationship between the gender composition of the workplace and sickness absence is estimated with detailed control for differences between occupational categories. Likewise, the importance of the gender composition of the occupation is assessed with control for between workplace variation. Men's sickness absence turns out to be largely unrelated to the gender composition of the workplace. For women the level of sickness absence tends to be higher in female-dominated workplaces, but the relationship is weak. These findings provide evidence against theories suggesting that the minority sex in the workplace faces special problems and is therefore more absent. They are to some extent consistent with the idea that female-dominated workplaces develop norms that are more tolerant towards sickness absence. The relationship of sickness absence to the gender composition of the occupational category is similar to the U-shaped pattern found in several previous studies (highest sickness absence both in strongly male-dominated and strongly female-dominated occupations), but again the relationship is weak.

Male identity in mental health nursing.

To explore the cultural meaning associated with male mental health nurses. An ethnographic approach was used to discover the meaning informants attach to the cultural norms, values and rules that govern their behaviour. Data were collected through participant observation and in-depth interviews with informants. Data were analysed using emerging domains and taxonomies regarding male nurse issues. This involved grouping terms, words and everyday reflections collected from the male mental health nurses. These lists of data (taxonomies) enabled the researcher to identify in-depth cultural themes about the attitudes, behaviours and symbolism typically associated with male nurses. A number of cultural themes emerged, including the notion of 'soft masculinity', which provided some insight into male nurses' experiences of working in a female-dominated workplace. A recurring theme was the need for male nurses to demonstrate gentleness and caring while maintaining a balanced sense of masculine identity.

Male identity in mental health nursing

Aim To explore the cultural meaning associated with male mental health nurses.Method An ethnographic approach was used to discover the meaning informants attach to the cultural norms, values and rules that govern their behaviour. Data were collected through participant observation and in-depth interviews with informants.Results Data were analysed using emerging domains and taxonomies regarding male nurse issues. This involved grouping terms, words and everyday reflections collected from the male mental health nurses. These lists of data (taxonomies) enabled the researcher to identify in-depth cultural themes about the attitudes, behaviours and symbolism typically associated with male nurses.Conclusion A number of cultural themes emerged, including the notion of ‘soft masculinity’, which provided some insight into male nurses’ experiences of working in a female-dominated workplace. A recurring theme was the need for male nurses to demonstrate gentleness and caring while maintaining a balanced sense of masculine identity.