Experiencing Technical Work: A Comparison of Male and Female Engineers

In: Human relations: towards the integration of the social sciences, Band 40, Heft 5, S. 299-312

Abstract

Analysis of questionnaire data from 51 matched male/female pairs of engineers shows that even though these pairs are in very similar positions and share similar orientations to the role of work in their lives, the women have a more ambivalent attitude toward technical expertise. The reasons seem not to lie in complications stemming from women's multiple roles, but relate, rather, to the singular, more "masculine" way that technical work is defined. In managerial roles, in contrast, where criteria of effective performance are more difficult to specify, women seem to be engaged in new models which are associated with less ambivalence. Such diversity, it is argued, is useful for all employees, male and female.