International Journal of Gender & Women's Studies

‘All Engineering Work is Not Men’s Work’: The Curious Case of ‘Gendered’ and ‘Non- Gendered’ Engineering Work
Nayyara Tabassum

Abstract
This paper seeks to deconstruct stereotypes of all engineering work as male-centric and homogeneous by positing the idea that there are two kinds of engineering work – field jobs and desk jobs which allows a repositioning of masculinities and femininities in engineering. Engineering technologies can be both gendered and non-gendered. It also intends to understand the various strategic approaches of subversion and resistance adopted by women engineers to improve the quality of their work lives. This interview-based study was conducted in India with female engineers from various engineering backgrounds to provide feminist insight that there is a need to re-imagine engineering work beyond its embodiment of hegemonic masculinity in order to disrupt the male imagery of engineering work, and that real change can be brought about not just with the passing but practice of laws to protect women’s rights at the workplace.

Full Text: PDF      DOI: 10.15640/ijgws.v3n1a13