This thesis is the result of ethnographic research conducted in a sending community in the state of Hidalgo, Mexico. This study calls into question the stereotypical view of Mexican women as passive and traditional. There are several conclusions reached during this study. First, the results reject Menjivar's (1999) and Levitt's (1998) argument. In the community studies, an unfulfilled economic or emotional absence encourages women to challenge the system of practice of Nurangi (participation in the labor force) even in the absence of a migration experience. Second, the analysis shows that contrary to our hypothesis, the physical absence of the male is not a trigger mechanism for women's participation in the labor force. Third, women from both migrant and non-migrant related groups have increased their human capital. However, migrant and non-migrant related women who participated in market activities not only expanded their human capital but also gained an economic and emotional benefit. Finally, the interviews have also shown that contrary to some literature that views Mexican women as passive and subordinate agents, the women in the Nurangi community are active agents, and what is sometimes perceived as a static gender division of labor is rather a fluid.

This thesis is the result of ethnographic research conducted in a sending community in the state of Hidalgo, Mexico. This study calls into question the stereotypical view of Mexican women as passive and traditional. There are several conclusions reached during this study. First, the results reject Menjivar's (1999) and Levitt's (1998) argument. In the community studies, an unfulfilled economic or emotional absence encourages women to challenge the system of practice of Nurangi (participation in the labor force) even in the absence of a migration experience. Second, the analysis shows that contrary to our hypothesis, the physical absence of the male is not a trigger mechanism for women's participation in the labor force. Third, women from both migrant and non-migrant related groups have increased their human capital. However, migrant and non-migrant related women who participated in market activities not only expanded their human capital but also gained an economic and emotional benefit. Finally, the interviews have also shown that contrary to some literature that views Mexican women as passive and subordinate agents, the women in the Nurangi community are active agents, and what is sometimes perceived as a static gender division of labor is rather a fluid.

The purpose of this essay is to explore a common situation of special education in Taiwan. Paraprofessionals, mostly consist of women, are asked to afford most care works for disabled children under the institution of special education. As men join as paraprofessionals to take care responsibilities, duties may be distributed by gender categorization. Moreover, care routines for children in the practice of daily life are divided into educational and caring matters which also much influence the partnerships between teachers and paraprofessionals. Based on the Institutional Ethnography, that emphasize through problematic daily experiences of those actors, to find how the institution to govern their relationships in the hidden domination, author has adopted in-depth interview of sixteen paraprofessionals and five teachers, moreover, engaged in participant observations to analyze where the caring practice reoccur and how much the influence of power of the institution to represent the relationships differentiated between these actors according to their gender and professional degree in the classroom. This study reveals, first, that women are shaped to be perfect care workers for disabled bodies, they also satisfy with mothering imagination through daily practice. Second, a few men join to be care workers only for a short period. To maintain traditional masculinity, caring experiences of men in the classroom are presented within stereotypical practice associated with gender stereotypes. At the same time, gender division of work can well keep men from the accusation of sex violation. Third, professionalism is the important factor influencing the interactions and negotiations between those actors who engaged in the special education institution. Furthermore, care works in this regard are distinguished into a dichotomy of body/ mind care responsibilities, and it may reshape the hierarchy inside the women.

Studien undersöker kvinnors representation, samt om det existerar några könsmönster inom kommunalpolitiken. Studien illustrerar hur könsfördelningen ser ut i Borås stad. En kartläggning utav kvinnliga förtroendevalda kommunpolitiker har genomförts för att åskådliggöra hur situationen angående könsmönster ser ut i dagsläget. Utöver detta har vi även utfört semistrukturerade intervjuer med respondenter från de olika partierna som är verksamma inom kommunalpolitiken i Borås stad för att få förståelse för hur situationen ser ut för de kvinnliga politikerna. Intervjuerna konstruerade vi utifrån referensramen, som vi därefter kopplat ihop med våra respondenters personliga upplevelser med hjälp utav vår analysmodell.De områden vi undersökt är kvinnorepresentation, vilka hinder de möter inom politiken, samt horisontell- och vertikal könsarbetsdelning. Vår undersökning visar att det finns en brist på kvinnlig representation inom kommunalpolitiken i Borås stad till viss del, samt vilken betydelse detta har. Dessutom visar undersökningen att både en horisontell- och vertikal könsarbetsdelning existerar i Borås stads kommun. Studien är skriven på svenska. / The study examines the representation of women, and the existence of any gender patterns in municipal politics. The study also illustrates gender distribution in the city of Borås. A survey of the female elected local councilors has been conducted to illustrate how the situation regarding gender patterns look like in the current situation. In addition, we also conducted semi-structured interviews with respondents from the various parties active in local politics in the city of Borås to get a comprehension in the situation of female politicians. We constructed the interviews on the basis of the reference framework, and then coupled with our respondents' personal experiences with our analysis model.The areas that we have examined are the representation of women, the barriers they face in politics, as well as horizontal and vertical gender division of labor. Our survey shows that there is a lack of female representation in local politics in the city of Borås, to some extent, and also what impact this has in the political situation that exists. Moreover, the survey shows that both a horizontal and vertical gender division of labor exists in the municipality of Borås.The study is written in Swedish.

This thesis examines the interplay between gender, family, and the Taiwanese public-sector labour market at national, local, and individual levels. It focuses on gendered occupational segregation, worker mobility in terms of job transfers and promotion, everyday work–life arrangements, and the influence of locality on workplace dynamics and individuals’ career moves. The public sector, especially that in East Asian countries, has long been regarded as a more women-friendly employer that promotes gender equality in the public sphere. Nonetheless, relevant research lacks a systematic investigation into the interplay of gender, social norms, and structured opportunities and constraints in this labour market. Therefore, I conducted this research by analysing governmental statistics and carrying out interviews. My research shows that gender segregation exists in the Taiwanese public sector and women are still underrepresented at senior levels, although the Taiwanese government has launched many measures to achieve gender equality in the public-sector labour market. It further scrutinises how the career trajectories of male and female civil servants differ because of gendered task assignment at work and gendered expectation after marriage, which restrain women’s mobility in spatial and career terms. Through the comparison of the experience of the civil servants working in three regions, I point out that locality influences the formation and function of social networks, work culture, and familial power relations. I also explain how local networking, work culture, and family relationships correlate with one another and thus implicitly influence the career development of male and female civil servants in the researched regions. In addition, my discussion looks at how extended family members influence household gender dynamics, which is seldom discussed in existing literature. There are three main findings in my research. First, prevalent gender norms in the wider societal context play an important role in the gendering process of civil servants’ career trajectories. Gendered investment in human capital contributes to gendered occupational choices and the tendency of men to start their civil service career at higher entry levels. Second, gender segregation exists in the assignment allocation, which is the result of prevalent gender stereotyping at work and in return reinforces the existing gender stereotypes. Third, the career plans of married civil servants, especially those with children, are highly determined by the interplay of gender dynamics at home and at work. Mothers tend to have the most limited career choices. Different family structures and local work cultures constitute diverse local settings for these mothers. In general, women who live close to or with their husbands’ extended families tend to prioritise their family commitments, although their extended family members provide them with resources and support, such as childcare. My research theorises back from the East Asian context to the literature on gender and families by unveiling multiple forms of patriarchy in different family structures, whereas previous Western-focused research has often focused on nuclear families. My research also suggests that the interlocking relationship between home and workplace gender relations and the influence of locality on these relations should be carefully considered during policy making and implementation.

This work focuses on the question of contemporary forms of fatherhood and thus responds to the current discussion about the greater involvement of men in childcare and domestic work. This ongoing discussion is closely associated with the equal opportunities for men and women. However, existing research shows that in most czech families the traditional gender division of family roles, which disadvantages women both within family and work life and limits men in fulfilling their parentel role, still prevails. The concept of active fatherhood presents man as an equally competent parent as a woman who is actively and more equally involved in childcare and domestic work. Poromoting this concept should help to eliminate inequalities mentioned above. The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of the Czech Republic, in support of active fatherhood, has conducted sociological research "The Forms of Paternity in the Czech Republic". The qualitative research carried out in this work is based on the research areas of the qualitative part of the mentioned research, specifically the part focused on the involvement of fathers in childcare and their ideas about the father's role. Conducted research tries to provide a more complete picture of the form of fatherhood through the inclusion of women to my research. The...

This dissertation considers how the transition from craft manufacture to mechanized glass production affected the organization of work and the consequences for the recruitment of labour. Based on gender and ethnicity, the dissertation studies the composition of the workforce, the significance of qualifications, and differences in career paths and length of stay have been investigated at Surte glassworks 1943–1978. Charles Tilly’s theory of durable inequality is applied to analyse whether primarily gender and ethnicity had any effect on the assignment of tasks and on discrimination. In conclusion, the results from Surte are compared with conditions at Kosta glassworks. Whereas Surte’s specialty was machine-made bottles, Kosta was geared to craft production of utility glass and art glass. After mechanization at Surte, machine-tenders were counted among the most qualified category, instead of the glass-blowers who had previously been in demand. Manufacture at a pace regulated by machines led to more routine chores such as inspection and packaging. At Kosta, with its focus on craft, glass-blowers still had the highest positions and had learned glass-blowing in the traditional way through practical exercise. At neither Surte nor Kosta did women have any opportunity to receive comparable training. After the Second World War there was a growing need for labour at both Surte and Kosta, and to keep production going the main alternative was foreign labour. The peak was reached in the 1960s, and of roughly 660 collectively employed workers at Surte in November 1964, almost 40% were immigrants, chiefly from Finland. Kosta at the same time, with just under 330 employees, had slightly under 10% foreign workers, mainly from Greece. Kosta attracted a number of skilled glass-workers from abroad, but the majority of immigrants there, and all those at Surte, lacked experience of glass manufacture At neither Surte nor Kosta, with their different production methods, is there any evidence of durable inequality based on ethnicity. The assignment of tasks was guided rather by the functions in demand at the companies and by the applicants’ qualifications. Internal training and career opportunities were open to all male workers, regardless of which country they came from. On the other hand, the gender division of labour at both glassworks created durable inequality for all women regardless of nationality. / <p>Projektet delfinasierat av Kulturparken Småland.</p>

Student Number: 0304476F Faculty of Humanities Maters in Arts / The study investigated gender employment practices and conditions of work among small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) in Gauteng Province of South Africa. A comparison of the practices and conditions between productive and service industries is clearly the major focus of the research. Interviews were conducted on two productive and two service industries (all private) situated in Benoni and Johannesburg respectively. The research found that generally, SMEs, in the productive and the service sectors contribute to job creation. Evidence shows that women are going into previously male dominated jobs like electrical and mechanical jobs, but the movement is quite minimal. This is a sign of progress on the part of women and a shift from the traditional belief that certain jobs are exclusively meant for men. The study found a salient discrepancy between the rhetoric of gender equality and the practice of gender equality in all the industries. There are clear signs that the legislation on minimum conditions of employment is followed in the productive industries than in the service industries but both still stick to the traditional gender division of labour.

This dissertation examines how the paradoxical process takes place whereby women are both integrated and segregated within male-dominated sites of social action, here in the Swedish labor market, national economy and military during the First World War. The potential of the First World War to change the societal gender distribution of labor in Sweden is limited by the fact that Sweden was not a belligerent state, and that the mobilization of men thus was limited. It is in social planning activity, and in the general state of preparedness for war and crisis, that this study has sought to analyze contemporaneous understandings of womens’ "tasks" in times of war and crisis. Earlier research has shown that women can be integrated in several different ways which can reproduce the gender order. This order can be re-created either in that women and men gain access to different "arenas" on different conditions, or in that women and men gain access to the same arena on different conditions (to mens’ advantage). From a gender-theoretical perspective, re-segregative integration is analyzed both at the level of conceptions and of practices. The study consists of three studies, regarding the domains of the labor market, the national economy (or economizing activity), and the military. The concept of the (social) task is used to capture those activities which voluntary organizations, the state, and/or womens’ organizations offered or enjoined/assigned to women in times of war and crisis. Women were offered tasks in e.g. the military medical service and in war veterinary care services, within so-called "time expense economizing" activities organized for the economy’s household sector, and with sewing articles of uniform clothing for older reserve troops (the landstormen). In addition, plans were laid up (although never carried out in practice) whereby women in wartime could be called upon to fill the "gaps" in the labor market left by men mobilized into the armed forces. In the domain of the labor market, womens’ integration was envisioned as taking place within an "extraordinary arena" on other conditions than those applying to men. Womens’ tasks were related to mens’ peacetime tasks, then being called "replacement work"; in relation to mens’ military service, placed into a context of "civil preparedness". In the domain of the national economy (or economizing activity), within the state National Economizing Commission, women were also integrated into a “special arena” on other conditions than those applying to men. Women were recruited into "womens’ administrations", or as the "only woman" to otherwise completely male-dominated administrations, and their tasks were limited to dealing with "the private households". In the domain of the military, women were still integrated into a "special arena" auxiliary to a male regular arena. Tasks were constituted as voluntary, were offered by voluntary organizations, and were focused on the provision of care services. In all these societal domains, a qualitative difference was created between what men did and what women did, or were envisioned to do. Womens’ tasks were constituted as feminized tasks. The tasks were however designed in a way which both challenged and confirmed more traditional conceptions of the "male defender", the "male provider", and the "masculine state and public sphere". One can reason here in terms of the gender order’s having been maintained, despite integration. In theory or in practice, this was done by tasks being recontextualized, whereby the existing order was maintained. By placing womens’ tasks into another context, order was secured, enabling the claim that "nothing has really happened". This could be expressed by saying that, when the gender order is threatened, a type of "assisting logic" intervened which placed threatening phenomena into a new context: the consequence of this was that tasks which women did, or were to do, became diminished.

This dissertation is a study of the changing living conditions for the Sami in Swedish Såpmi (Samiland) throughout the twentieth century with an analysis based on a gender and ethnic perspective. At the turn of the century, the Sami lived as nomadic reindeer herders and were primarily self- sufficient. This changed as the reindeer herders shifted from a self-sufficient lifestyle to a money economy tor a variety of reasons. Over time they became more integrated in the dominant Swedish society and even more dependent on it. Reindeer herding has become increasingly mechanized since the I960's with rationalizations as a result. Even in to the 1990's the industry was the object of streamlining ettorts. A process of masculinization has also occurred and today's reindeer herding is a distinctly male coded profession. Women do not regularly participate in the daily work of reindeer breeding and their ability to have any direct influence on the herding districts (sameby) is limited. This is also largely true in terms of the Sami Parliament, the Sami popularly elected body. The Sami population has experienced unfavorable special legislation and regulation from the State. The population was divided into several different categories with different rights. Sami women were marginalized two-fold and subordinated, partly because of their ethnic affiliation (as Sami) and partly because of their sex (as women). This continues to be true today. The analysis of gender division of labor shows that a married couple had their own autonomous areas of power within the household. The wife was however still subordinate to her husband in his role as master of the family. The older reindeer herding society was not noted for its equality. There was a distinct hierarchy based on sex, age, and social status. Division of labor in modern reindeer breeding is in principle based on the same normative system as the older nomadic society. The study of the ethnic processes in Såpmi shows among other things that from a Sami perspective, a person is Sami who is related to other Sami and whose actions are based on a Sami identity. It is also clear today that there are many different Sami identities, that an individual person draws from a number of such identities and that it is the context that determines which of these are active in any given situation. The Sami identity is sex-based, i.e. there is a difference between a "male Sami" and a "female Sami." Sami women, unlike Sami men, cannot be politically active while also being active based on their sexual identity. Were they to do so, they would be excluded by definition from their ethnic group. Sami women must therefore subordinate themselves as women to be "genuine" Sami. They thereby contribute to their own marginalization and help maintain their own subordinated position in the Sami society. / digitalisering@umu