CHANGING PLACES: Men and Women in Transitional Occupations

by Carol Tropp Schreiber ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 25, 1979

Those willing to wade through the statistics and sociologese will find that this book has some definite things to say. Schreiber studied one hundred non-management employees in sex-typical and counter-typical occupations and concluded, first, that women in transitional jobs suffer a stiffer initiation than do men, undergoing a testing period that may last up to two years. Once accepted, these women are often treated as mascots, mothers, or as helpless individuals. Male supervisors are tougher on new female workers than are women supervisors on men, and where the new worker does not stay at the job, he or she rather than co-workers or the system receives the blame. ""Nowhere was group climate, welcome, or individual comfort mentioned as a source of distress to the person who left."" Women sought physically-demanding jobs for the money and new skills demanded; men took on clerical work for a chance at promotion. Perhaps the most striking finding is that ""New Type"" women were not involved in discussions about their occupational futures--not even as much as ""Old Type"" women--while their masculine counterparts were actively anticipating and plotting their moves. Such findings are significant for all involved in breaking occupational barriers and yet, when compared to Rosabeth Kanter's Men and Women of the Corporation, this study lacks force, emotion, and range. We never get a feel for the (single) company or the workers. A book that started as a dissertation ends as one, strangely lacking in excitement.

Pub Date: May 25, 1979

ISBN: 0262690756

Page Count: -

Publisher: MIT Press

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1979

Categories: NONFICTION