Hi everyone,
On
Monday, I will be presenting on Work as Liberation and Locations of Empowerment
from chapter 9 in the textbook.
I’d
like you to reflect on the following quote: “When one confronts an instance
where work has been gendered/sexed…understanding that such job segregation can
be challenged may enable him to pursue his career dreams.”Key terms to keep in mind are: Resistance and empowerment
Please
read:
If the link doesn’t work, go to the library
website, click “discovery search” and paste this in the search bar:
“Pregnancy And Motherhood On The Thin
Blue Line: Female Police Officers' Perspectives On Motherhood In A Highly
Masculinized Work Environment." The reading is about the perspectives of female police officers on pregnancy and motherhood in the typically male dominated profession of law enforcement.
Questions
to consider:
1. What
ways can work serve as liberation?
2. How
can resistance lead to liberation/empowerment
3. Have
there been any instances in your life where work served as empowerment?
Happy thanksgiving!
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(UPDATED 11/30)
Hello
everyone!
Thank
you all for a great discussion on Monday! As a refresher, I presented on work
as liberation and locations of empowerment. We discussed that while
institutions are often seen as areas of subordination, they are also areas of
resistance. Resistance can help lead to a more liberating and empowering work
place for some.
We
also discussed African American women and Latina immigrants.
African American women often form groups to help support each other
balance family and work. Latina immigrants are beginning
to change the definition of the word mom to mean "wage
earner." Many moms leave their children in order to care for the
children of others and earn money to support their families. Pierrette
Hondagneu-Sotelo is a scholar (mentioned in the textbook) who writes about this
idea.
Then,
we watched the Buzzfeed video where people were asked to match an
occupation to a face. The people assumed that the women
were nurses and the men were firefighters. While those of you
who participated in the study said that you wouldn’t have correctly matched the
person to the occupation, you said that it wasn’t because you don’t believe
women have the capacity to do a stereotypically man’s job, (and vice versa) but
because you would base your answers off of what is typically taught/seen in society.
It's
important to highlight that society's understanding of gender is constantly
changing and norms are being altered. Earlier, I asked you all to reflect on
the quote “When one
confronts an instance where work has been gendered/sexed, as when a man is
discouraged from pursuing a profession that traditionally has been populated by
women, understanding that such job segregation can be challenged may enable him
to pursue his career dreams.” This quote is important because it helps to
highlight the idea that when people do challenge the norms
to get a job that they love, others will often follow.
Some
of the important points brought up in discussion are:
- Work can be empowering because it makes you self-reliant
- Helping others can be an empowering job
- Working at home can be empowering because it something
you do for your family; taking care of the future society
Discussion
questions (feel free to also add any other commentary or personal experience):
- Do you think that liberating/empowering jobs vary between cultures? What would be an example from your culture? (I gave the example of my family being Italian and how although now not so much, all the older women in my family have been stay at home moms)
- We didn’t really get into work for men. Do you think if a man stays home and a women works, it can have the same effect on the both of them?
Thanks again!
Hi Maria,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your presentation, I especially liked the Buzzfeed video where people were asked to match an occupation to a face. I think that I too would have gotten most of them wrong. In response to your question, I do believe that empowering jobs vary depending on your specific culture. I come from a Jewish family, and while I am not expected to stay home full time, I grew up in a culture where women are mostly the ones that do the household chores. I will say that my family was a little different in which my father and brothers would help clean off the table after dinner, but frankly, it was mostly my sisters and I, and of course my mother. (sorry to my family if they’re reading this :) ). I have heard from many people that they enjoy working outside of the home, specifically, because they feel appreciated and are thanked for their work, since often working from home is a thankless job.
Thanks again for your presentation,
Myriam Kind
Thanks Myriam! I agree, I wouldn't have been able to match the face to the occupation. I think it is because of stereotypes that society has created. Yes, I also think culture plays a major roll in this idea as well!
DeleteHi Maria, Thank you for your insightful post! I think that it is important to acknowledge the fact that although we typically think of gendered careers as being male dominated, there are also jobs which we typically associate with women. In order to make certain jobs more gender equal, we need to understand that gender bias in the workplace can go both ways. To answer your first question, I think that what is considered to be liberating careers definitely vary between cultures. An example of this is that certain cultures value careers surrounding math, science, and technology, where as others place more value on the arts and humanities. Depending on the culture in which you live, the areas of study that are higher valued contain careers that are considered to be more empowering than those that are not valued as highly. I also found that the textbooks distinction between gender and race in the workplace was important. It states, "Studies of African American and work make clear that their experiences of subordination at work begin at school, when counselors and teachers tend to steer them away from particular work aspirations" (DeFrancisco & Palczewski 195). This distinction is important because it acknowledges the fact that careers are not only gendered, but also discriminate against minority races. It also highlights the fact that this clear disadvantage begins much earlier than when one is searching for a job, but begins in the education system. The only way that these gendered and racial stereotypes can be overruled is to identify their existence as a culture, so that we can then strive for equality.
ReplyDeleteThanks Hayley!
ReplyDeleteYou bring up some very important ideas. I agree that it is important to be aware of the gender bias in order to attempt to make a more gender equal workforce. I also think the quote you pulled from the textbook is extremely important. I can definitely see how disadvantages begin far before job applications.
Hi! I really enjoyed your presentation. The topic is what I am interested for long time, so I appreciate all information that you provided in the slides and videos.
ReplyDelete1. Do you think that liberating/empowering jobs vary between cultures? What would be an example from your culture?
Yes, I think it varies between cultures. In Japanese culture, some very old ways of thinking still exist. People who have high status in the organizations and companies are very old, such as 50 and 60 years old, so it cannot help stopping that. They keep saying that "Women's workplace is just the kitchen!". Today, everyone knows it is too old way of thinking, but unfortunately it is still existed. That is the biggest reason that why women feel difficult to advance to the society. On the other hand, in American culture, I think the way of thinking does not exist anymore. More and more women work outside and achieve some high status in many companies.
2. Do you think if a man stays home and a women works, it can have the same effect on the both of them?
No, I do not think so. In Japan, when a wife work outside and a husband stay home, people around them might say that the husband is too lazy to work or not capable to work. Therefore, women have choice to work outside or not, but men do not have any of them.
Hi Yoshiko! Thanks so much! I enjoyed reading your comment. I feel that American and Japanese cultures are so different and it was interesting to hear your perspective. I agree, I think that luckily American culture is becoming more accepting of women advancing in society
ReplyDelete