"Hon är undantaget som bekräftar regeln"
Om hur bekönandets mekanismer påverkar utrymmet för kvinnor och män på ett medelstort företag i Sverige
AbstractThis paper is based on a research conducted in a medium sized company, situated in Sweden, with the intent to study possible connections regarding views of gender and the existing sex segregation within the company. How is gender constructed, and does it exist representational ideas of the sexes, that leads to restrictions for men and women to be working within different areas of the company? Why are there such few women working within the company? Through five interviews with employees within the company, three women and two men, I found answers to these questions. My thesis and the specific questions were categorized into three different themes. The first theme aims to understand the interviewees? discussions of gender and labour. In the next theme I focus on situations described by my interviewees, where acts of differentiating and favouritism based on gender have occurred. The third theme consists of the interviewee?s standpoints of why there is a minority of women in the company. To understand how gender is created and carried out in the company I utilize a theory called the gender system, developed by Yvonne Hirdman, which is a system where the sexes are divided, separated and the higher value is given to the male. I also use a combination of different theories of genderization of phenomenons, which is the process where a phenomenon is imprinted with a certain gender as a way to naturalize the order of the gender system. The process of genderization becomes visible when labour, occupational tasks, qualifications and behaviour are being discussed by the interviewees. For example; technical interests are genderized as male qualities, while tasks performed in the reception desk is seen as female qualities. Through the genderization of different phenomenons, women are excluded from male gendered spheres and women who trespass those spheres encounter suspicions due to the fact that her sex does not imply the qualities that are needed for the occupational tasks. The management within the company is also affected by the process of genderization, which becomes evident when the interviewees discuss different events that have taken place where management is involved. As a consequence, women who apply for occupations are probably less likely to get employed compared to that of men. Women are also held back at the company whereas men are more likely to have jobs assigned to them. Clearly, males are being favoured in this company and views on gender are one consequence of that favouritism, as well as the male dominance of the company as a whole. Male dominance will exist as long as both sexes are being held, separated and differentiated with genderization.Keywords: genderization, sex segregation, gender and organizations, gender systems and work