Women in masculine professions. The case of mechanical engineers electricians. Women vase?

Abstract

The presence of women in the workplace is greater every day, however the gender roles and stereotypes that prevail in our society prevent their full professional development especially in professions such as Engineering that has been considered as male. Their minority position promotes these women to be considered tokens or women alibis, vases, showcases or symbols. This phenomenon of “tokenism” (Kanter, 1977) refers to one of the ways in which the organization’s resistance to the inclusion of women and the establishment of “real equality” over belief that equality exists only with its presence. The present research*** is framed in the qualitative paradigm; the semi-structured interview was used to collect data and had as objective to analyze the gender stereotypes in the labor field in male professions, specifically in the case of Mechanical Electrical Engineers (MEEs). The key informants were MEEs graduated from the Universidad Autónoma of San Luis Potosí (UASLP) with work experience related to their profession. The results show that women who choose male professions, such as MEEs, face a series of barriers that hinder their professional development. One of these barriers is the phenomenon of “tokenism”, which causes women to face conditions that impede their professional development such as: high visibility, because they are unique subjects within their work environment; Polarization, when excluded or discriminated against certain areas, activities or tasks; And assimilation, in which the characteristics of women, are distorted to fit preconceived ideas (Simpson, 2004) about their sex.