Bleeding Pink: Women in Men-dominated Field

Chapter I

Background of the study

In most societies, women were traditionally confined to the home as daughters, wives and

mothers, and we are often only aware of women in history because of their relation to famous

men. Many women throughout history did in fact play an important role in cultural and political

life, but they tend to be invisible (Council of Europe, 2019).

Women have struggled for gender equality and against oppression for centuries and

although battles against antifeminism have been partly won, giving women the right to vote and

equal access to education, they continue to be disproportionately affected by all sorts of violence

and discrimination in all facets of life (Council of Europe, 2019).

Finding a job is much tougher for women than it is for men. When women are employed,

they tend to work in low-quality jobs in vulnerable conditions, and there is little improvement

forecast in the near future. Gender inequality in the workplace and school takes many forms,

unequal pay, disparity in promotions, incident of sexual harassment, and racism (Wooll, 2021).

Compared to men, women are significantly underrepresented in science, technology,

engineering, and math (STEM) areas, despite having a remarkable track record of progressing

toward higher education. The elements that account for gendered participation patterns in STEM

in nations with different national characteristics and educational systems are less well understood

(Kwak and Ramirez, 2019).

 Male-dominated careers such as engineering, maritime, police force and automotive are

industries that is particularly vulnerable to reinforcing harmful stereotypes and creating

unfavorable environments that make it even more difficult for women to excel (Campuzano,

2019).

Women and men remain concentrated in different jobs and fields, a trend known as

occupational segregations. However, male-dominated industries aren’t the only sectors with a

pay gap. Whether an industry is predominantly male or female, or more of an even mix, women

still earn less than men in almost all occupations (Catalyst, nd).

Given the premises above, a gender gap in men-dominated field persists around the

world. Thus, this study aims to explore and understand the live experience of women in men-

dominated field. The purpose of this study is to ensure students particularly women about

workplace patriarchal norms with the study anchored with this aspect. This study will be

conducted to increase the knowledge on this topic and contribute to the youth in pursuing a

career in men-dominated field.

Statement of the problem

This study aims to explore the lives of women in the fields that are traditionally male-

dominated.

Specifically, it sought to answer the following questions:

1. What are the experiences of women in the men-dominated field?

2. What are the challenges of women in the men-dominated field?

3. What are the coping mechanisms of women in the men-dominated field with the

experience?

Scope and Delimitation

The main focus of this study is to explore the life of women in men-dominated field of

work. The researchers will be limiting the study on female professionals and students in police,

engineering, and maritime industries. The research will be conducted through interviews with 5-

7 females and data collection. The study will be conducted within Negros Occidental,

Philippines only.

This study considers every aspect of women’s insights and perceptions on men-

dominated fields. Specifically, their experiences, challenges, and coping mechanisms on the

experience. It will consider the participants availability due to the possibility of absence on the
day of the interview with reasons out of human control. Moreover, all the information given by

the participants must be kept with utmost confidentiality and maintained unbiased judgement.
Significance of the Study

The findings of the study may provide deeper insights on women’s predicament in the

fields that is traditionally male-dominated. Data produced in this study will be used to address

the issues regarding gender gaps in Men-dominated Fields. Although several similar studies have

been conducted, discrimination and unfair treatment of women continue to be problems in the

modern day and age. Actions are required to attain equality and women's empowerment to

overcome the problems that women experience in fields that are traditionally male-dominated.

To the Government, the results may serve as a basis for the need of improvement in

career fields, in order to promote women’s rights to be treated equally with respect and without

prejudice against the gender.

To the Women, the results may serve as an enlightenment for the position of females in

the fields that are traditionally male-dominated, to spread awareness, and provide insights and

appreciation to the Women Warriors of our society.

To the Students, the results of the exploratory study may serve as a basis for choosing a

career of choice and to provide data on the conundrum and opportunities in the organization.

To the future researchers, the results of the study would serve as their reference in their

research study which could be beneficial and similar to this.

Definition of Terms:

Terminology may be applied to different meanings in different fields. There is a need for

the researchers to define the terms to ensure that readers understand the precise meaning of each

term used in this study. A list of terms in definitions used in this study delineated below.

Bleeding, conceptually, it means loss of blood from the circulatory system.

Operationally, it represents the struggles of women.

Men-dominated field, conceptually, it means an organization or area of activity in which men

have most have the power and influence.

Operationally, it refers to the police, engineering, and maritime industries that are traditionally

dominated by men.

Pink, conceptually, it means a color intermediate between red and white, as of coral or salmon.

Operationally, it represents feminism and women.

Women, conceptually, it means a female individual.

Operationally, it is our subjects in the study that are involved in men-dominated fields.
Theoretical Framework

The “Great Man” theory of Leadership

The "great man" theory of leadership, first put forth by Thomas Carlyle in the middle of

the 1800s, is linked to the trait theory of leadership. According to Carlyle, extraordinary leaders

shaped history. Carlyle held the opinion that people are simply born with the capacity to lead and

that this capacity cannot be learned. Carlyle's theory of leadership was based on the rationale

that certain traits produce certain patterns of behavior, patterns are consistent across different

situations, and people are "born" with leadership traits. The traits most commonly associated

with great leadership include eagerness to accept responsibility, emotional stability, intelligence

and action-oriented judgment, courage and resolution, assertiveness, adaptability and flexibility

(Cherry, 2022).

The theory shows that, although it brought attention to traits and characteristics

associated with leadership, it primarily focused on men and left women altogether excluded. The

continued existence of sexist social norms is still pervasive and still seen in a variety of ways,

including the salary gap, the underrepresentation of women in leadership positions, and the way

we talk about and refer to women in general. For instance, we frequently hear men in positions

of power refer to their counterparts as “great guy” or “great man”, while women are often

referred to as “smart lady” or “she’s a real go-getter”. This reaffirms the bias that men are

“great” and women are not – or classified otherwise (Pennstate, 2022).

According to a study by Pew Research Center, “fifty-six of the 146 nations (38%) studied

by the World Economic Forum in 2014 and 2016 have had a female head of government or state
for at least one year in the past half-century.” (Geiger, Kent, 2017). While this is an improvement

from the 1800s, there is still a long way to go before we can truly unwind the impact of the Great

Man Theory.

While it appears that our culture is currently working to extricate itself from the Great

Man Theory, we can advance more widely by becoming aware of its continuing effect,

particularly in the way that it supports overt discrimination and unconscious bias. There is little

doubt that the so-called "great men" recorded in history contributed to important industrial and

social advancement, but modern individuals would greatly benefit from comprehending the

marginalization of women and other minorities that these men enforced. They would

comprehend how much more we could have accomplished as humans if everyone in society had

been given an equal chance to contribute (Pennstate, 2022).

 Chapter II

Review of Related Literature

This segment presents the reviewed recent related literature and synthesis of the art to

support the study of exploring the experiences of a woman in men dominated field. The

applicable literature for this study included key terms such as women in male-dominated

Related Literature

Around the world, finding a job is much tougher for woman than it is to man. According

to the study of Pinto and Patanakul et al., 2018, evidence of gender bias was found in relation to

perceived technical competence; in situations where the perceived technical competence of the

job candidate was low the female candidate was less likely to be hired over a male counterpart.

Discrimination against woman is particularly apparent regarding hiring (Pinto, Patanakul et al.,

2017)

Women in Men-dominated field often put in office work instead of the actual work.

Sexist expectation that a woman is naturally for domestic chores is what set women in charge for

“office housework” (Rackshit, 2021). A “man’s” career is seen as having a higher credibility

than a “woman’s” job (Doering & Thebaud, 2017).

According to the study of Veldman, Meeussen & Van Lar et. al (2017), among 657

employees working in 85 teams in the police force showed that, the police force as a male-

dominated field, gender-dissimilarity in the team was related to perceived gender-work identity

conflict for women, and not for men.

 “Although I generally feel good within our team, the feeling that as a woman you have to

prove yourself even more to get the same appreciation as a police detective prevails.”

The above-mentioned response from a female police participant shows that this is

sometimes the case for women working in the police force, an agency with a relatively recent

history of hiring women and where women are still notably underrepresented globally (Bureau of

Justice Statistics, nd).

Out of the 41 territories for which data are available, only ten countries, including

Cyprus, England, Wales, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Norway, Serbia,

Scotland, and Sweden, reach or exceed 25% female representation. Additionally, many law

enforcement agencies have a relatively small percentage of female applicants and few female

employees. Furthermore, there are only eighteen percent (18%) policewomen of the PNP's

strength compared to men, who comprise eighty-two percent, revealing policewomen are

continuing to be outnumbered by male counterparts across all ranks according to PNP data from

2021. Therefore, in response to the male dominance of mainstream criminology, feminist

criminology grew out of the Women's Movement of the 1970s.

The study above, shows that if you are a woman working in a field where men

predominate, you understand what it's like to be the minority. Industries with a male

preponderance are more likely to reinforce preconceptions and foster unfavorable working

conditions for women. They are paid less for performing the same work than men, they have a

lower chance of getting promoted, and they are more likely to experience prejudice.

(TEAMSTERS LOCAL 987)

 For centuries it was stereotyped that women were the inferior sex. Only capable of being

emphatic and gentle while men, on the other hand, continue to be described as excelling at tasks

that required logic, spatial, reasoning, and motor skills (Saini, 2017). Workplaces were imbedded

with stereotypes that it produces a toxic environment (Leonard, 2018). Women continue to break

away forms standardized patriarchal norms as they were still treated underrepresented (Dutta,

2022).

Despite the great improvement of women in the society, still some continues to

experience iniquity in workplaces. “About four-in-ten working women (42%) in the United

States say they have faced discrimination on the job because of their gender” (Parker & Funk,

2017).

In contrast, according to the Trait theory of leadership, people tend to perceive that

someone is a leader when he/she exhibits traits associated with intelligence, masculinity, and

dominance (Dabbs, 2019). Thus, the gender does not matter when perceiving someone is a leader

as long as they embody the traits of a leader.

The present research of National Academy of Sciences suggests that appointing women

to the top tiers of management can mitigate these deep-rooted stereotypes that are expressed in

language (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2022).

Despite the discrimination against women in the workplaces dominated by men, they

continue to excel and adapt with the challenges. Making women more resilient, tough and

unaffected by gender prejudice and stereotypes.

 As women are underrepresented in the male-dominated industry, evidence of gender bias

against females is evident. It includes, sexist expectations of a woman is naturally for domestic

chores, excluded in leadership roles, and experience conflict related to gender in the police force.

Thus, the small percentage of female applicants and employees in law enforcement agencies,

only means that women are a minority in men-dominated field. Despite the working industry

being embedded with stereotypes and iniquity in workplaces, women strive, continue to excel

and manage to get out of the invisibility cloak that men-dominated field creates. Making women

more resilient, tough and unaffected by gender prejudice and stereotypes.