Title: Men's entry into female dominated professions: challenges for women

Authors: Rabia Ali; Farah Saeed

Addresses: Department of Sociology, International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan ' Department of Sociology, International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan

Abstract: This paper aims to unveil the experiences of Pakistani women in selected female dominated professions followed by the entry of men. The findings reveal that the entry of men in female oriented professions has posed several challenges for women including glass ceiling, exclusion and discrimination. Organisations and employers demand efficiency at workplace and men are believed to be more likely to meet the demands of capitalist market. Women are evaluated on similar grounds which put immense pressure on them to meet the demands of employers. In the light of the findings, it is suggested that measures need to be taken to ensure a more gender balanced workplace ethics in female dominated professions so that women's work is valued and appreciated and they are not threatened by their male counterparts.

Keywords: glass escalator; workplace ethics; female dominated professions; in-depth interviews; women; Pakistan; gender balance; male inclusion.

DOI: 10.1504/MEJM.2016.081080

Middle East Journal of Management, 2016 Vol.3 No.4, pp.267 - 277

Received: 23 Jun 2016
Accepted: 28 Jun 2016

Published online: 20 Dec 2016 *

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