Female Biography Analysis: Identity Constructions in Male/Female-dominated professions

The suggested research project aims to compare identity constructions of women in male- vs. female-dominated professions, in detail in science and technology vs. pedagogy. The focus will be placed on the following central questions: What do individual biographies in science and technology vs. biographies in pedagogy look like? How do women deal with their (female) role in the professional field? How do these women construct their identities? Are gender and professional identities constructed differently in the two professional fields? How are these constructions interrelated? The research approach refers to the principles of figuration sociology (Elias 1987) and puts the focus on the investigated women, and the way women perceive their biographies. Women`s self-perceptions and identity constructions in male-dominated vs. female-dominated professional environments will be explored on the basis of narrative-biographical interviews (Schütze 1983). To thoroughly investigate identity constructions in the two contrasting professions, one part of the sample will be confronted with a typical, summarized life story from the opposite professional field. Given the comparative perspective of the investigation, a negotiation process with one`s own biography, revealing deeper insight into the differences and similarities to other biographies, is expected (Appelsmeyer 1996). The background of my study is based on i) the theory of "dual socialization" and the fact that women`s lives are still based on family and work (Becker-Schmidt 1987) and ii) the segregation of professions and professional hierarchies according to gender aspects (Wetterer 2002; Teubner 2009). Above that, the focus of my recent research was on female career paths in science and technology. Results showed how identity constructions of female scientists relate to their minority status as a woman in a male-dominated profession (Haas, Keinert et al. 2011). In this context, the suggested research project follows the proposition that every profession has its inherent (gender) rules and (role) expectations and that these factors shape and interrelate with (female) biographies. This suggested project will investigate interrelations between identity constructions and the (male- or female- dominated) professional life history. This research will provide contributions to constructivist approaches and to the social theory on the interrelation of biographies with gender and professions. Furthermore, results will extend existing biographical models for women.

The project Female Biography Analysis Identity Constructions in Male-dominated vs. Female-dominated Professions was conducted to understand and illuminate womens life concepts and identity constructions in relation to their profession. The aim of my research was to explain what it means for women to be employed in a male- respectively in a female-dominated profession. I selected the two professional fields of SET (Science, Engineering and Technology) and teaching as they both demonstrate either male-dominant or female- dominant structures. Above all, the gendered structure of the two professional fields becomes visible in numbers: In 2009, 83.4% of graduates in Austrian pedagogic studies were female; whereas only 6% of beginners in electrical engineering or mechatronics studies were women. These figures are also reflected in the representation of organizations in SET and in schools, where the majority of the labor force is male respectively female. However, even at schools, women face a so-called glass ceiling and higher positions are staffed with men. Investigating the career trajectories of women in both fields via biographical-narrative interviews, I found out that the typical female scientist was born and raised in a (well-) educated family. Excelling in performance, high-supportive family and/or school structures, the young girl finally dared to choose a career, which was considered to be difficult or was just a choice among various options for excellent students. The typical female teacher, instead, followed a stronger traditional life-concept based on the ideas to give birth to children and having a job, where the own knowledge is passed on to and shared with children. Looking at women who dropped out of their professional field in my research, I found that the decisions for giving up or staying in a professional field strongly interrelate with biographical experiences on how to deal with success and drawbacks. Through the very open narrations, the main themes that became relevant in womens life were related to traces of violence and being different, which demonstrate two long-lasting topics of society valuing the masculine over the feminine. In addition to the gendered processes and related stereotypical expectations that might promote or restrain womens advancement in the two selected fields, the biographies can generally build upon well- established social and financial resources. In such professional groups, beliefs about individualism and meritocracy regarding career success prevail. The dominant discourse presumes that equality has been reached, and if women do perceive inequality in their daily professional life, these experiences are then often classified as unique individual experiences. For the individual woman, this implies a high pressure for self-justification, neglecting existing (gendered) power relations. On the whole, my research situated at the interface of gender, profession and biography revealed a deeper understanding of the interrelation of biographical trajectories of women and the organizational barriers and possibilities they are confronted with.