Hur är det att tillhöra en dubbel minoritetsposition? - Upplevelser av att vara kvinnlig chef i byggnads- och IT-branschen

Abstract

In Sweden, women and men work almost to an equal extent, however, working life is both horizontally and vertically gender-segregated (Peterson, 2017; Göransson, 2003; Muhonen, 2010). Both the construction and IT industries are highly gender-based and the high positions are mainly dominates by men. It is interesting to study the working conditions for women in management positions in a male dominated industry. They belong to what can be called a double minority. Possible challenges and problems are investigated, as well as the opportunities and benefits that female managers in mendominated industries experience. A researcher who has studied women's minority position in organizations is Rosabeth Moss Kanter (1977). Her study is the main theory that this study uses when analyzing collected empirical studies. Strategies women use to address any challenges and problems that arise are also analyzed, among other things. The method used is qualitative semi-structured interviews, to best capture female managers’ subjective experiences. Five interviews were conducted with female managers, three of whom were from the construction industry and two were from the IT industry. The industries were chosen because they are highly male dominant. The results of the study show that the interviewed female managers enjoy working in a male dominated industry. Some challenges could be experienced, although much has improved in recent years. The women could also experience certain opportunities and benefits of being women and managers in the industry, such as being extraordinary as a woman and manager as a minority, and perhaps having an advantage in recruiting. The female managers claimed that they did not use any specific strategies to deal with any challenges, however, several strategies emerged in their respective industries. The women also mentioned recommendations for how the proportion of women in the industry can be increased.