A Case Study Approach to Stereotypes of Women in a Male-dominated Industry
Abstract
This dissertation will explore gender in male-dominated industries specifically the
dissertation will review gender stereotypes and barriers and how they affect women
working in a male-dominated industry.
The literature looks at four key topics: gender stereotypes, the glass ceiling and other
barriers, legislation and the male-dominated industries.
The method used was qualitative in the form of semi-structured interviews. The
primary research consisted of eight in depth interviews with women working in a
manufacturing industry. The questions were tailored to help explore their
experiences. The findings helped fill in some gaps found in the literature.
The findings showed that women in a manufacturing industry still struggle with
barriers and stereotypes, specifically from customers and some experienced it from
their managers for being in a male-dominated industry. The full findings are explored
in chapter 4 and 5.