Women's ways of "careering"

A life course approach to the occupational careers of three cohorts of engineers and teachers

Ann Nilsen

Department of Sociology, University of Bergen, Norway. December 1992. [ISBN 82-578-0120-8]

CONTENTS

TABLES AND FIGURES IN THE TEXT

PREFACE

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

1 Introduction: Women's Ways of "Careering" 1.2 Why Engineers and Teachers?
1.3 Three Different Cohorts of Graduates 2 Research Problems Specified 2.2 A Feminist Perspective
2.3 The Life Course Approach 3 Different Types of Data and Methods of Analysis
4 The Presentation CHAPTER II METHODS AND METHODOLOGY 1 Introduction
2 Types of Data in the Study 2.1 Introductory Remarks
2.2 Collecting Data: A Brief Account of Procedures
2.3 Design of Interview Guide and Questionnaires 3 The Biographical Research Interview 3.1 On Qualitative Research Interviews
3.2 A Woman Researcher and a Woman Informant: A Feminist Context?
3.3 Retrospective Interviews 4 Interviewing Women Engineers and Teachers 4.1 Contacting Informants
4.2 Interview Locations
4.3 Interviewing 5 Evaluating the Quality of Data 5.1 Representativeness
5.2 Validity and Reliability 6 The Process of Analysis and Interpretation 6.1 Introductory Remarks
6.2 Combining Questionnaire Data and In Depth Interviews in the Analysis 6.2.1 Exploring or Generating Hypotheses: Two Ways of Approaching Interviews in a Multi-Method Study
6.2.3 The Multi-Method Approach Examplified 6.3 Presenting Results from a Multi-Method Study 7 Summary CHAPTER III LIFE COURSES: PATTERNS AND VARIATIONS 1 Introduction
2 Life Course Patterns 2.1 The Life Course: Introductory Remarks
2.2 The Life Course Patterns Described 2.2.1 Period Specific Conditions: Aims of Creating Gender Equality
2.2.2 Changes in the Teaching and Engineering Educations
2.2.3 The Timing of Events and Phases in the Life Course: Spaces of Possibilities Perceived 3 Men's and Women's Life Courses Compared 3.1 Aspects to Be Compared
3.2 Periods of Non-Employment 4 Post College Training and Social Class Issues 4.1 Changes in Graduates' Class Background over the Cohorts 5 Summary CHAPTER IV ASPECTS OF GENDER AND CLASS IN THE DECISION TO ENTER HIGHER EDUCATION 1 Introduction 1.1 Problems to Be Addressed 2 Material Resources in the Family of Origin 2.1 Gender Class and Choice of Education 2.1.1 The Significance of Mothers' Occupation
2.1.2 Impact of Parents' Level of Education 3 Relational Aspects in the Family as Important for Daughters' Decision to Enter Higher Education 3.1 Introductory Remarks
3.2 Frame of Understanding for the Discussion Based on Interviews
3.3 The Mother-Daughter Relationship as Important for Daughters' Choice of Education 3.3.1 On the Aspect of Action in the Mother-Daughter Relationship
3.3.2 Different Period Specific Contexts as Important for Mothers' Attitudes to Daughters' Education
3.3.3 On the Impact of Mothers' Attitudes 3.4 Concluding Remarks on Mothers' Attitudes and Actions
3.5 The Father-Daughter Relationship as Significant for Daughters' Choice of Education 3.5.1 The Father-Daughter Relationship during the Basic Phase of the Educational Career
3.5.2 Fathers as a Significant Influence for Choosing Type of Education 4 Concluding Remarks: Interpreting the Relationship between Parents CHAPTER V GENDER SEGREGATION IN TEACHING AND ENGINEERING 1 Introduction 1.1 Problem Areas Defined
1.2 Gender Segregated Labour Markets by Occupations and Working Hours 2 Perspectives on Gender Differences in the Labour Market 2.1 Introduction
2.2 Feminist Perspectives on Gender Differences in the Labour Market
2.3 Frame of Understanding for the Gender Segregation in the two Professions 2.3.1 Period Specific Dimensions
2.3.2 Occupation Related Issues
2.3.3 Elements at the Individual Level 3 Engineers' and Teachers' Employment 3.1 Gender Differences in Occupational Positions
3.2 Gender Differences in Working Hours 3.2.1 Differences in Women's Working Hours 3.3 Summary and General Discussion 4 Gender Discrimination 4.1 Introduction
4.2 Differentiation and Discrimination: A Brief Account of Concepts
4.3 Experiences of Differentiated Treatment 4.3.1 Gender Discrimination in Teaching and Engineering
4.3.2 Gender Differences in Ways of Perceiving Discrimination 5 Personal Experiences of Discrimination 5.1 Introduction
5.2 Extent of Personal Experiences of Discrimination 5.2.1 Discriminative Practices in the Assignment of Work Tasks
5.2.2 Processes Leading to Unequal Pay 5.3 Encountering Gender Discrimination 6 Summarized Discussion CHAPTER VI OCCUPATIONAL MOBILITY OVER THE LIFE COURSE 1 Introduction 1.2 Problems Addressed 2 Orr Organizations: Concepts and Theories 2.1 Introduction
2.2 General Theoretical Approaches to the Study of Hierarchical Organizations
2.3 Criteria for Upward Mobility in Different Organizational, Contexts
2.4 Gendered Organizations? A Brief Survey of Theoretical Approaches 2.4.1 Feminist Perspectives on Gendered Mobility Patterns 2.5 The Impact of Period Specific Conditions for Gendered Mobility Patterns 3 Gendered Career Patterns among Engineers and Teachers 3.1 Introduction 3.1.1 Categories Applied in the Analyses of Occupational Mobility 3.2 Gender Differences in Occupational Mobility 3.2.1 Mobility Patterns Affected by Period Specific Contexts 3.3 Gender Differences in Teachers' Occupational Mobility 3.3.1 The Significance of Period Specific Conditions for Teachers' Mobility Patterns 4 Mobility Patterns and Organizational Characteristics 4.1 Introduction 4.2.1 Engineers: Occupational Mobility in Private and Public Sectors
4.2.2 Schools as Arenas of Occupational Mobility 5 Subjective Interpretations of Issues Related to Occupational Mobility 5.1 Introduction
5.2 Teachers' Attitudes to Occupational Mobility
5.3 Engineers' Attitudes to "Careering" 6 Conclusion: Comparing Women's Views on Occupational Mobility CHAPTER VII ON RELATIONAL THINKING AND PRACTICAL CREATIVITY 1 Introduction 1.2 Problems Discussed 2 Careers and Relational Thinking 2.1 Introduction
2.2 The Career Concept
2.3 Hierarchical Structures and Career Development 2.3.1 Careers and Interpersonal Relations
2.3.2 Relational thinking and Hierarchical Structures 3 On Practical Creativity 3.1 Introduction
3.2 Characteristics of Household Work
3.3 Creativity and Practical Creativity 4 Practical Creativity and Women's Career Development 4.1 Introduction
4.2 Ambiguities in Relational Thinking and Practical Creativity
4.3 Relational Thinking and Practical Creativity Related to Teaching and Engineering 4.3.1 Engineers' Career Patterns Seen in View of Practical Creativity and Relational Thinking
4.3.2 Practical Creativity and Relational Thinking as a Basis for Teaching 5 Conclusion CHAPTER VIII CONCLUDING REMARKS: GETTING AHEAD OR MOVING ON? 1 Introduction
2 Versions of a Different Future 2.1 Introductory Remarks
2.2 "There are two kinds of success…"
2.3 "..thinking in a wider context.."
2.4 Visions of a Future 3 Moving on?
4 Summing Up REFERENCES

APPENDIX

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