ABSTRACT
Despite many countries implementing government initiatives and policies attempting to break down barriers, there is persistent gender segregation in the labour market. The concept of gendere d occupations emerges from the skills and characteristics that men and women are assumed to possess due to their biological sex, and what society deems to be “feminine” or “masculine” traits. This phenomenon is found on a global level and often causes gender discrimination and bias. The numbers of women in male-dominated occupations have increased more recently, but not the numbers of men in female-dominated occupations. A few scholars have explored the issues behind “why so few men” in a range of “feminine” professions, but no one has addressed this from a discourse analytic perspective. It is important to examine how these jobs are actually enacted through language. Can we remove the gendered assumptions associated with such roles; that men do not “belong” as they do not possess the “correct” gendered characteristics? This book presents a collection of original chapters addressing these issues by challenging hegemonic norms about “gendered” professions and concentrating on one of the more recent developments in the field of language and gender research: the study of “female” occupations where men are the minority. The contributions explore the possible de-gendering of gendered occupations and characteristics, and highlight original empirical research, progressive methodologies, and forward-thinking practical implications.
