Resilience for gender inclusion: Developing a model for women in male‐dominated occupations

Abstract

What is resilience in the context of work environments where women face barriers as significant as career discrimination and harassment? In such a context, is resilience an individual responsibility? How can organizations contribute to and support employee resilience? And where is gender in this equation? This conceptual paper explores these questions using aviation, the skilled trades (i.e., carpentry, welding, plumbing) and the military as case studies to understand how gender inclusion could be better supported by resilient organizations. The barriers for women in male-dominated industries include social exclusion, marginalization, discrimination, harassment, and other forms of social closure. How these barriers can be overcome is not well understood. We argue that individual resilience plays a part in women thriving and developing enduring careers but can only occur in combination with support from gender inclusion strategies and organizational resilience. We have developed the Resilience for Gender Inclusion (RGI) model combining gender inclusion strategies with organizational resilience strategies. The RGI model demonstrates how employee and organizational resilience intersect and may lead to the transformative potential of inclusive cultures of diversity. This will improve employee wellbeing and self-efficacy and create a much needed sense of belonging and social inclusion for women in male-dominated occupations.

Some Parents Survive and Some Don't: The Army and the Family as “Greedy Institutions”

“…Drawing from the literature on gendered organizations (Acker 2006; Bridges, Wulff, and Bamberry 2021; Tomaskovic‐Devey and Avent‐Holt 2019) and research documenting the embeddedness of gender‐role stereotypes in the military (Archer 2013; Doan and Portillo 2019; Fulton et al 2012; Geva 2011; Steidl and Brookshire 2019), we hypothesized diverging effects of parenthood on job performance for men and women who joined the Army between 2002 and 2009. Our findings aligned with previous research linking fatherhood with the breadwinner ideal.…”

“…Drawing from the literature on gendered organizations (Acker 2006;Bridges, Wulff, and Motherhood was associated with reduced likelihood of promotion, but mothers were much less likely to have been terminated for poor performance than childless women.…”

“…Women working in male‐dominated professions, such as military, aviation, and skilled trades, report experiences of gender‐based harassment and social exclusion, and as a result, leave their profession at much higher rates than their male counterparts (Bridges, Wulff, and Bamberry 2021). Hegemonic masculine cultures that hold toughness, aggressiveness, and dominance in high regard can simultaneously marginalize traditionally feminine qualities in the military (Steidl and Brookshire 2019).…”

“…Yet, the military is also known for its masculine culture (Bridges, Wulff, and Bamberry 2021;Doan and Portillo 2019;Steidl and Brookshire 2019) and high levels of WFC (Kamarck 2020;Wadsworth and Southwell 2011). As the military and the family demand "commitments, loyalty, time, and energy" of their members at all times (Segal 1986, 9), they have been termed "greedy institutions."…”

“…Yet, the military is also known for its masculine culture (Bridges, Wulff, and Bamberry 2021; Doan and Portillo 2019; Steidl and Brookshire 2019) and high levels of WFC (Kamarck 2020; Wadsworth and Southwell 2011). As the military and the family demand “commitments, loyalty, time, and energy” of their members at all times (Segal 1986, 9), they have been termed “greedy institutions.” To ease this tension, DoD has over time developed extensive family support policies, yet continues to struggle with recruitment, retention, and integration of women (Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services [DACOWITS] 2020; Doan and Portillo 2019; Wadsworth and Southwell 2011).…”