The Naturalization of Gender Segregation in a Danish Bank
Through a qualitative interview analysis of a document handling department in a Danish bank, this article seeks to illuminate central aspects of how some jobs come to be seen as naturally female. Taking gendered organizational theory and Joan Acker’s concept of an ideal employee as our point of depa...
Main Authors: | , , |
---|---|
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Aalborg University
2012-02-01
|
Series: | Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://tidsskrift.dk/njwls/article/view/26791 |
id |
doaj-115a14deff1a42788deaf545e06c367e |
---|---|
record_format |
Article |
spelling |
doaj-115a14deff1a42788deaf545e06c367e2020-11-24T21:54:06ZengAalborg UniversityNordic Journal of Working Life Studies2245-01572012-02-012110.19154/njwls.v2i1.235224187The Naturalization of Gender Segregation in a Danish BankSidsel Lond Grosen0Helle Holt1Henrik L. Lund2Centre for Working Environment and Working Life, Roskilde UniversitySFI. The Danish National Centre for Social researchRoskilde UniversityThrough a qualitative interview analysis of a document handling department in a Danish bank, this article seeks to illuminate central aspects of how some jobs come to be seen as naturally female. Taking gendered organizational theory and Joan Acker’s concept of an ideal employee as our point of departure, we ask whether women are seen as the ideal employees in this femaledominated job function or as a residual to men as the actual ideal employees. The numerical female dominance in the document handling department is articulated as a matter of competencies, job content, and family obligations – for example, by framing women as good at multitasking, as enjoying routine work, and as primary caregivers. The article argues that this construction both draws on and alters historically formed stereotypes in ways that reinforce the gender segregation of the organization and make it hard to change.https://tidsskrift.dk/njwls/article/view/26791Genderethnicityage & diversityOrganization & management |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Sidsel Lond Grosen Helle Holt Henrik L. Lund |
spellingShingle |
Sidsel Lond Grosen Helle Holt Henrik L. Lund The Naturalization of Gender Segregation in a Danish Bank Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies Gender ethnicity age & diversity Organization & management |
author_facet |
Sidsel Lond Grosen Helle Holt Henrik L. Lund |
author_sort |
Sidsel Lond Grosen |
title |
The Naturalization of Gender Segregation in a Danish Bank |
title_short |
The Naturalization of Gender Segregation in a Danish Bank |
title_full |
The Naturalization of Gender Segregation in a Danish Bank |
title_fullStr |
The Naturalization of Gender Segregation in a Danish Bank |
title_full_unstemmed |
The Naturalization of Gender Segregation in a Danish Bank |
title_sort |
naturalization of gender segregation in a danish bank |
publisher |
Aalborg University |
series |
Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies |
issn |
2245-0157 |
publishDate |
2012-02-01 |
description |
Through a qualitative interview analysis of a document handling department in a Danish bank, this article seeks to illuminate central aspects of how some jobs come to be seen as naturally female. Taking gendered organizational theory and Joan Acker’s concept of an ideal employee as our point of departure, we ask whether women are seen as the ideal employees in this femaledominated job function or as a residual to men as the actual ideal employees. The numerical female dominance in the document handling department is articulated as a matter of competencies, job content, and family obligations – for example, by framing women as good at multitasking, as enjoying routine work, and as primary caregivers. The article argues that this construction both draws on and alters historically formed stereotypes in ways that reinforce the gender segregation of the organization and make it hard to change. |
topic |
Gender ethnicity age & diversity Organization & management |
url |
https://tidsskrift.dk/njwls/article/view/26791 |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT sidsellondgrosen thenaturalizationofgendersegregationinadanishbank AT helleholt thenaturalizationofgendersegregationinadanishbank AT henrikllund thenaturalizationofgendersegregationinadanishbank AT sidsellondgrosen naturalizationofgendersegregationinadanishbank AT helleholt naturalizationofgendersegregationinadanishbank AT henrikllund naturalizationofgendersegregationinadanishbank |
_version_ |
1725869035678072832 |