La incorporación de mujeres a un entorno laboral masculino: el caso de la industria química de Tarragona

Identifier:  TDX:4116

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/TDX4116

Authors:  Aguilar Cunill, Carla

Abstract:
This thesis is a compendium of three articles that, together, represent a case study of the incorporation of women in a traditionally male work environment, specifically in the chemical industry of Tarragona. It starts from a broad theoretical framework with a historical perspective, based on a performative gender perspective and in accordance with the doing gender approach. It is based on gender and work studies with a feminist perspective as well as masculinities for its theoretical basis, and presents a wide range of previous case studies of masculinized work environments in which there is an incorporation of women. It uses a qualitative methodology based on in-depth interviews with workers as plant operators and panelists, the jobs in most direct contact with production. Both the field work and the analysis focus on the influence of the constructions of masculinity and femininity on this work environment, with the main objective of identifying conflicts between gender and work that may have appeared as a result of the incorporation of women. The conclusions point out different conflicts in this sense, both in men and women. The strategies of women to manage the difficulties of integration in a male environment, which mostly lead them to disguise their femininity and incorporate certain aspects of masculinity to fit in better, are also collected. Finally, their discourses on gender equality and positive discrimination are analyzed. All this with the purpose that these analyses can have a positive impact on the studied environment, so reflections and proposals for strengthening equality policies in this area are also included.