Doing and undoing gender: women professionals' persistence in technology occupations

• Published in: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, 2022-04, Vol.41 (4), p.673-690
• Main Authors: Saifuddin, Samina M., Dyke, Lorraine, Hossain, Md. Sajjad
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Campaigns; Careers; Counseling; Culture; Developing countries; Empowerment; Equality; Females; Gender; Gender differences; Gender equity; Gender roles; Industrialized nations; Inequality; Intervention; Interviews; LDCs; Muslims; Occupations; Patriarchy; Professionals; Public spaces; Random sampling; Recruitment; Resilience; Snowball sampling; Sociocultural factors; Strategies; Teaching; Technology; Women
• ISSN: 2040-7149; 2040-7157
• DOI: 10.1108/EDI-03-2021-0083

PurposeThis study aims to identify women professionals' strategies to persist in the male-dominated technology industry situated in the Bangladeshi socio-cultural context.Design/methodology/approachIn-depth interviews with women tech professionals were conducted to identify and explore the strategies. Thematic coding was used for data analysis.FindingsThe findings suggest that the complex interplay of macro-, meso- and micro-factors pushes women to defy societal and gender norms in their choice and persistence, yet they simultaneously conform to these norms. By simultaneous expressions of doing and undoing gender, these women dealt with hierarchies and inequalities, navigated masculinized industry and empowered themselves within a patriarchal culture. The strategies effectively allowed them to demonstrate agency and persist in tech occupations.Research limitations/implicationsThe study participants were women and recruited using snowball sampling. Future research could benefit from recruiting a larger, more varied sample using random sampling.Practical implicationsThe study can inform teaching and policy initiatives to increase women's representation in tech sectors through awareness campaigns, policy interventions and counseling.Originality/valueThe research extends the doing and undoing framework by integrating the relational perspective to explain women's agency and resilience situated in a patriarchal context. The paper focuses on women's micro-individual strategies to navigate macro- and meso-level forces. Moreover, Bangladesh is an under-researched context, and findings from the study can help design potential intervention strategies to increase women's participation.