ERIC Number: ED167752
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1978
Pages: 142
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Women in Traditionally Male Jobs: The Experiences of Ten Public Utility Companies. R & D Monograph 65.
Meyer, Herbert H.; Lee, Mary Dean
A study explored the results of programs designed to move women into traditionally male jobs (both managerial and blue collar) in ten public utility companies. The focus of the study was on the experiences of 164 women in such jobs and on the attitudes of their supervisors, male peers, and subordinates toward the companies' attempts to overcome job discrimination based on sex. The study also explored the impact of the women's new job patterns on their relationships with peers, parents, husbands, male friends, and children. The findings indicated that the experiences of the ten companies were considerably more positive than negative. Most of the women were seen to be performing well in their new jobs, although those in blue collar positions encountered more difficulties in the form of inadequate prior training and harassment from male peers. There was also considerable evidence that negative attitudes and expectations on the part of male supervisors and peers were likely to change rapidly when the supervisors and peers had an opportunity to observe a woman performing effectively in a nontraditional job. Companies making the most progress in providing equal opportunities for women were those which planned the transition carefully, involved first-line supervisors in the planning, and provided central staff monitoring and guidance to managers attempting to meet Equal Employment Opportunity goals. (Interview outlines and data analysis procedures are appended and graphs, tables, and references are included.) (Author/LMS)
Descriptors: Administrators, Affirmative Action, Attitude Change, Blue Collar Occupations, Career Opportunities, Employed Women, Employee Attitudes, Employer Attitudes, Employer Employee Relationship, Employment Patterns, Employment Problems, Equal Opportunities (Jobs), Family Attitudes, Family Relationship, Females, Males, Managerial Occupations, Nontraditional Occupations, Occupational Surveys, Peer Relationship, Program Effectiveness, Questionnaires, Semiskilled Workers, Sex Discrimination, Skilled Workers, Social Relations, Utilities, Work Experience
Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402 (Stock Number 029-000-00351-3); Inquiries Unit, Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, Room 10225 Patrick Henry Building, 601 D Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20213
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Employment and Training Administration (DOL), Washington, DC.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A