abstract: This dissertation examines how direct selling organizations compel women to believe that direct selling is, among other things, centered on the needs of women. Drawing upon feminist interdisciplinary methodologies, this dissertation brings together qualitative, archival, and ethnographic materials to analyze direct selling through a technologies of gender framework. I argue that multi-level marketing direct selling companies (like Avon, Tupperware, Mary Kay, etc.) are able to turn belief into profits because they strategically tap into gender ideologies. I show that discursive technologies of gender coalesce with race and class discourses and are put to work by direct selling companies to construct a specific type of direct seller. This dissertation attempts to unpack the complex technologies of gender that direct selling women engage with while constructing their identities as workers and women. I argue that the companies in this study deliberately tap into women's anxieties and desires to blend their perceived gender roles with their need for income. I find that direct selling companies are exceptional at branding their businesses as uniquely suited for women and that this branding hinges upon the construction of a direct sales imaginary. I argue that the direct sales imaginary taps into powerful discourses of race, class, and gender to market the American dream to women who are seeking out a space that is empowering and inclusive. Because the direct selling industry tends to see an increase in profits and recruitment during economic recessions, it is likely that the current economic situation has channeled even more women toward direct sales as a fallback for uncertain economic futures. While some women may be inclined to view direct sales as an attractive employment alternative it is not a realistic means of supporting families during difficult economic times and this study might help some women make more informed decisions. Furthermore, this study brings to light how gender might be used to organize structural relationships between markets, people, and businesses. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Gender Studies 2013

This thesis deals with the analysis of gender wage inequality on the example of the US labor market. The theoretical part presents theories explaining gender differences. The methodological part describes the data source and method of selection of respondents for further analysis. There are also constructed econometric models used in other parts of the work. In the practical part are analyzed gender differences in selected fields and evaluated differences between socio-economic groups. The results of the analysis show that in all monitored sectors, married women reach higher incomes than single women, but it is not possible to confirm the hypothesis that the difference was greater in employments enabling home working or flexible working hours. On the contrary, the hypothesis, that it is more convenient for women to have small children in these more time-flexible jobs, is confirmed. However, it is not clear whether it is because of the nature of these fields or because of their profitability.

Denna studie grundar sig i en forskning gällande arbetet kring genus och jämställdhet i två olika yrkesbranscher inom samma organisation. Den svenska arbetsmarknaden är könssegregerad och granskas arbetsmarknaden närmare framträder den interna könssegregeringen. Det betyder att kvinnor och män med samma yrke och ibland samma arbetsgivare utför olika arbetsuppgifter. Enligt tidigare forskning har kvinnors andel av arbetskraften ökat kraftigt sedan 1960 och detta har medfört att ett stort steg tagits mot ökad jämställdhet. Kvinnor och män har valt olika yrkesinriktningar som resulterat i en könssegregerad arbetsmarknad. En bidragande orsak till att den svenska arbetsmarknaden fortfarande är starkt könssegregerad är beskrivningen av yrken och branscher såsom "typiskt kvinnliga" och "typiskt manliga". Utgångspunkten för denna studie är att ta fram mer forskning kring genus och jämställdhet. Syftet med studien är således att undersöka två olika yrkesbranscher som uppvisar kvinnodominans respektive mansdominans inom en och samma organisation. Tidigare forskning påvisar att olikheter i traditioner, förhållningssätt samt värderingar som är relaterade till genusmönstret bidrar till att kvinnor dominerar i hemtjänsten och män i de tekniska verksamheterna. Dessa genusmönster har stor betydelse för arbetsmiljöförhållandena eftersom det påverkar alla delar av vårt samhälle. Studien har genomförts med kvalitativa intervjuer sett ur ett hermeneutiskt perspektiv. Intervjuer har genomförts med personer med olika befattningar från räddningstjänsten, vård och omsorg (hemtjänst) samt personalchef. Resultaten från intervjuerna har analyserats utifrån den teoretiska referensramen. I denna studie har vi kommit fram till att den mansdominerade yrkesbranschen har kommit längre i arbetet för jämställdhet genom exempelvis lön och ombyggnationer till kvinnliga omklädningsrum. Samt att vissa av brandmännens partners är emot kvinnliga brandmän. / This study is based on research into the work of gender and equality in two different professions within the same organization. The Swedish labor market is gender segregated and is the labor market to be examined closer stands the internal gender segregation. This means that women and men with the same occupation and sometimes the same employer perform different tasks. According to previous research, women's share of labor has increased significantly since 1960, and this has led to a major step towards increased gender equality. Women and men have chosen different professions that resulted in a gender segregated labor market. A contributory reason why the Swedish labor market is still highly gender segregated is the description of professions and industries such as "typically female" and "typically male". The starting point for this study is to develop more research on the importance of the Swedish gender-based labor market. The purpose of the study is thus to investigate two different professions that exhibit women dominance and men dominance within one and the same organization. Previous research shows that differences in traditions, attitudes and values are related to gender patterns. This makes women dominate the home care services and men in the technical activities. These gender patterns are of great importance to the working environment, as it affects all parts of our society. The study has been conducted with qualitative interviews from a hermeneutic perspective. Interviews have been conducted with people with different positions from the emergency services, health and social care (home care service), and the staff manager. The study has been analyzed with qualitative interviews from a hermeneutic perspective. Interviews have been conducted with people with different positions from the emergency services, healthcare and home care services and the responsible human resource manager. The results from the interviews have been analyzed based on the theoretical reference frame-work. In this study we have come to the conclusion that the male-dominated occupational field has gone further in the work of gender equality, for example, new dressing rooms for women. And some of the firemen's partners are against female firefighters.