1136 Lane Hall
204 S. State Street
Ann Arbor, MI
48109–1290
Phone: 734–764–9537
Fax: 734–764–9533
Current Boyd/Williams Recipient (2012-13)
Jessica Lotus Seely
(Women's Studies; Sociology)
Masculine Care and Feminine Technical Expertise: Examining the Individual, International, and Occupational Influences on Support Workers' Performances of Gender at Work
Using interviews and ethnography, I examine the experiences of bureaucratic support workers, comparing the gender performance of men and women in the feminine, low-status occupation of Administrative Professional and the masculine, higher status field of IT Support. In both occupations, individual ways of doing gender intersect with the expectations of coworkers based on the gender of the support worker and the gender and status ascribed their occupation to produce a range femininities and masculinities, each with distinct implications for gender equality. By better understanding this process, feminist scholars can develop strategies for disrupting the gender division of the labor and thus inequality.