The British Columbia fishery is in crisis. Environmental conditions and problems with the management of the fishing resource have led to a significant reduction in stocks and created serious economic problems in the industry. Women's work is central to the fishery yet it is often unpaid, underpaid and undervalued. Policies guiding the restructuring of the industry do not take into account the unique circumstances of women in the industry. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to improve the understanding about the ways fishery policy impacts the lives of women in the fishing communities of BC. The question posed: What is the experience of women in the BC Fisheries during a climate of crisis and change? A feminist approach is applied to this qualitative study. Unstructured interviews were conducted with a sample of nine women who have worked in the industry and are impacted by closures and cutbacks. Findings reveal a devastating magnitude of loss for these women and their families; a great mistrust of the motives of the Federal government and its policies; and a multitude of strategies used in their struggle for survival. The critical inequities in the fishing industry make this study particularly relevant to social work. Further research is warranted to develop adjustment, programs that address these inequalities and meet the needs of women in the coastal communities of BC. Limitations of thisstudy and suggestions for future research are discussed in the light of these findings.

The British Columbia fishery is in crisis. Environmental conditions and problems with the management of the fishing resource have led to a significant reduction in stocks and created serious economic problems in the industry. Women's work is central to the fishery yet it is often unpaid, underpaid and undervalued. Policies guiding the restructuring of the industry do not take into account the unique circumstances of women in the industry. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to improve the understanding about the ways fishery policy impacts the lives of women in the fishing communities of BC. The question posed: What is the experience of women in the BC Fisheries during a climate of crisis and change? A feminist approach is applied to this qualitative study. Unstructured interviews were conducted with a sample of nine women who have worked in the industry and are impacted by closures and cutbacks. Findings reveal a devastating magnitude of loss for these women and their families; a great mistrust of the motives of the Federal government and its policies; and a multitude of strategies used in their struggle for survival. The critical inequities in the fishing industry make this study particularly relevant to social work. Further research is warranted to develop adjustment, programs that address these inequalities and meet the needs of women in the coastal communities of BC. Limitations of thisstudy and suggestions for future research are discussed in the light of these findings. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

Little has been written about women's career development that specifically addresses the process of women becoming successful in their occupations. As well, the literature has neglected to include the experiences of lesbians. Yet there is reason to believe that lesbians, by virtue of their lesbian identity, may have unique work experiences that are different from heterosexual women, leading to different paths to occupational success. The purpose of this study was to investigate the process of lesbians becoming successful in their occupations by utilizing a grounded theory approach. Fifteen women (age range 35 to 69 years) who were identified as successful in their occupations (i.e., they were perceived as leaders in their fields) and who represented a variety of occupational fields, were interviewed about their experience of becoming successful in their careers. The grounded theory analysis of the data led to conceptual development, ordering, and a description of a psychological process "striving for holistic integration." The central process begins by these women "managing their lesbian identities in the workplace." The process involved women "taking risks and being out" at work along a continuum that represented women "working 'in' silence," "working quietly," and being "boldly 'out' spoken." Other salient categories in this central process included: facing ongoing fear, handling homophobia, and fighting for social change. Holistic integration involved participants integrating their lesbian and work "worlds." This integration facilitated enhanced working relationships based on honesty, and, for many participants, holistic integration became transformational as they became empowered by being open and disclosing their lesbian identities in the workplace. This process involved a dynamic, synergistic interaction between the influencing conditions (i.e., changing social times, personal background, serendipitous conditions, love and support, and a gay friendly work environment) and the unfolding of the process of striving for holistic integration. This research contributes to our understanding of lesbians' occupational success and is an important first step for further research. The women in this sample were primarily out in their respective fields and experienced benefits from doing so, despite the barriers many of them encountered along the way. The findings of this study provide guidance for future research in the area of lesbian career development and success.

Little has been written about women's career development that specifically addresses the process of women becoming successful in their occupations. As well, the literature has neglected to include the experiences of lesbians. Yet there is reason to believe that lesbians, by virtue of their lesbian identity, may have unique work experiences that are different from heterosexual women, leading to different paths to occupational success. The purpose of this study was to investigate the process of lesbians becoming successful in their occupations by utilizing a grounded theory approach. Fifteen women (age range 35 to 69 years) who were identified as successful in their occupations (i.e., they were perceived as leaders in their fields) and who represented a variety of occupational fields, were interviewed about their experience of becoming successful in their careers. The grounded theory analysis of the data led to conceptual development, ordering, and a description of a psychological process "striving for holistic integration." The central process begins by these women "managing their lesbian identities in the workplace." The process involved women "taking risks and being out" at work along a continuum that represented women "working 'in' silence," "working quietly," and being "boldly 'out' spoken." Other salient categories in this central process included: facing ongoing fear, handling homophobia, and fighting for social change. Holistic integration involved participants integrating their lesbian and work "worlds." This integration facilitated enhanced working relationships based on honesty, and, for many participants, holistic integration became transformational as they became empowered by being open and disclosing their lesbian identities in the workplace. This process involved a dynamic, synergistic interaction between the influencing conditions (i.e., changing social times, personal background, serendipitous conditions, love and support, and a gay friendly work environment) and the unfolding of the process of striving for holistic integration. This research contributes to our understanding of lesbians' occupational success and is an important first step for further research. The women in this sample were primarily out in their respective fields and experienced benefits from doing so, despite the barriers many of them encountered along the way. The findings of this study provide guidance for future research in the area of lesbian career development and success. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

This project is a case study of the hairdressing industry in British Columbia in the 1920s. It argues that gender divisions persisted as consumerism became increasingly important to British Columbians, and that despite British Columbia's sometimes challenging engagement with international consumerism, the province's economy remained remarkably synchronized with international trends. It tells the story of the rapid expansion and feminization of hair services markets and businesses; examines the public and legislative debates about the importance of consumer services such as hairdressing and its customers; and reveals the persistence of gendered divisions in the early transition to a consumer services society. Using British Columbian newspaper reports, American and Canadian women's and union periodicals, city directories, national censuses, and government reports, the project looks first at the increasing pressures in the 1920s from business owners, advertisers, and magazine editors to adopt new, fashionable hairstyles and the sources of ambivalence among women about the new styles. It then turns to hairdressing as a business and source of employment, and after briefly reviewing the history of hairdressing in North America looks at the rapid expansion of hairdressing businesses in British Columbia during the 1920s; the demographic characteristics of hairdressing workers and entrepreneurs; and the feminization of the hair services industry. It also explores the connection between feminist ideals and women's entrepreneurship in the hair services field. Finally, the hairdressers' attempt to gain regulation from the provincial government is examined at the end of the decade, with a particular focus on how consumerism and hairdressing, its workers and customers, are characterized. The legislative and public debates about hairdressing regulation reveal anxiety about consumerism and persistent gender divisions as British Columbia began to shift toward a consumer-oriented society. It concludes that British Columbia, despite its primary resource economic base, remained remarkably in step with international trends, from feminization of services to regulation of those services, of which hairdressing was just a beginning. / Arts, Faculty of / History, Department of / Graduate