Persistence Is Cultural: Professional Socialization and the Reproduction of Sex Segregation

Why does sex segregation in professional occupations persist? Arguing that the cultures and practices of professional socialization serve to perpetuate this segregation, the authors examine the case of engineering. Using interview and diary entry data following students from college entry to graduat...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Seron, Carroll (Author), Silbey, Susan S. (Contributor), Cech, Erin (Author), Rubineau, Brian (Author)
Other Authors: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Anthropology Program (Contributor)
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publications, 2016-08-25T20:30:00Z.
Subjects:
Online Access:Get fulltext
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100 1 0 |a Seron, Carroll  |e author 
100 1 0 |a Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Anthropology Program  |e contributor 
100 1 0 |a Silbey, Susan S.  |e contributor 
700 1 0 |a Silbey, Susan S.  |e author 
700 1 0 |a Cech, Erin  |e author 
700 1 0 |a Rubineau, Brian  |e author 
245 0 0 |a Persistence Is Cultural: Professional Socialization and the Reproduction of Sex Segregation 
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520 |a Why does sex segregation in professional occupations persist? Arguing that the cultures and practices of professional socialization serve to perpetuate this segregation, the authors examine the case of engineering. Using interview and diary entry data following students from college entry to graduation, the authors show how socialization leads women to develop less confidence that they will "fit" into the culture of engineering. The authors identify three processes that produce these cultural mismatches: orientation to engineering at college entry, initiation rituals in coursework and team projects, and anticipatory socialization during internships and summer jobs. Informal interactions with peers and everyday sexism in teams and internships are particularly salient building blocks of segregation. 
520 |a National Science Foundation (U.S.) ("Future Paths: Developing Diverse Leadership for Engineering," Grant # 0240817) 
520 |a National Science Foundation (U.S.) ("Future Paths: Developing Diverse Leadership for Engineering," Grant #0241337) 
520 |a National Science Foundation (U.S.) ("Future Paths: Developing Diverse Leadership for Engineering," Grant # 0503351) 
520 |a National Science Foundation (U.S.) ("Future Paths: Developing Diverse Leadership for Engineering," Grant # 0609628) 
546 |a en_US 
655 7 |a Article 
773 |t Work and Occupations