Men in non-traditional occupations: career entry, career orientation and experience of role strain

Citation

Simpson, R. (2006), "Men in non-traditional occupations: career entry, career orientation and experience of role strain", Human Resource Management International Digest, Vol. 14 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/hrmid.2006.04414cad.007

Men in non-traditional occupations: career entry, career orientation and experience of role strain

Men in non-traditional occupations: career entry, career orientation and experience of role strain

Simpson R. Gender, Work and Organization, July 2005, Vol. 12 No. 4, Start page: 363 (18 pages)

Purpose – Studies the careers of men in four non-traditionally male areas of work – nursing, cabin crew, librarianship and primary school teaching. Looks at why the men entered these careers, their attitudes to their careers and if they felt any role strain as men within these careers. Design/methodology/approach – Gathers data from 40 in-depth interviews with seven academic librarians, ten primary school teachers, eight cabin crew members and 15 nurses. Findings – Finds that 13 of the men had made an active choice of their careers; that nine had made a passive choice and 18 had settled on the career after trying other, more traditionally masculine careers that they had not liked. Reports that 14 of the men were strongly ambitious to reach senior positions within their professions but notes that most of the group, who had settled for the profession after trying out other types of work, were keen to stay close to professional and occupational practice and not move into management. Lastly, finds that many of the men had had adverse reactions from others to their choice of job and that they had developed strategies for avoiding discussing their jobs or for emphasizing the masculine aspects of them. Notes that the homosexual men in the sample felt more comfortable in their roles. Research limitations/implications – Discusses the research methods and the limitations. Indicates areas for further research. Originality/value – Studies career choice and experience of men in non-traditional careers.ISSN: 0968-6673Reference: 34AR604

Keywords: Airlines, Career development, Careers, Gender, Job satisfaction, Libraries