Coping with Career Boundaries in Masculine Professions: Career Politics of Female Professionals in the ICT and Energy Supplier Industries in Switzerland

Clerc, Isabelle; Kels, Peter (2013). Coping with Career Boundaries in Masculine Professions: Career Politics of Female Professionals in the ICT and Energy Supplier Industries in Switzerland Gender, Work & Organization, 20(2), pp. 197-210. 10.1111/gwao.12017

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This article investigates the mid‐career realities of female professionals in male‐dominated industrial sectors by way of two explorative company case studies, located in the IT and energy supplier industry in Switzerland. Based on preliminary results taken from qualitative interviews, we analyze career politics of female professionals trying to cope with career boundaries in the context of male‐affected management cultures. Career politics, such as pursuing calculated relationships with organizational gatekeepers, are part of a more or less conscious game, with the male order trying to compensate disadvantages in gaining access to career‐relevant resources. But as an unintended side effect, they contribute to the reproduction of gendered stereotypes and career boundaries in ‘male professions’.

Item Type:	Journal Article (Original Article)
Division/Institute:	Business School > Institute for New Work > New Forms of Work and Organisation
Name:	Clerc, Isabelle and Kels, Peter
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
ISSN:	09686673
Language:	English
Submitter:	Isabelle Clerc
Date Deposited:	27 Jan 2021 14:15
Last Modified:	26 Sep 2021 02:18
Publisher DOI:	10.1111/gwao.12017
ARBOR DOI:	10.24451/arbor.13744
URI:	https://arbor.bfh.ch/id/eprint/13744