Craftworkers and Clerks: The Effect of Male Co-Worker Hostility on Women's Satisfaction with Non-Traditional Jobs

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Abstract
This paper assesses the impact of hostility from male co-workers on women working in non-traditional blue-collar jobs. We compare women in traditionally male craft jobs with women in traditionally female clerical jobs, using five dimensions of job satisfaction: pay, work content, promotion opportunities, supervisors, and coworkers. We find that women in traditionally male blue-collar jobs are satisfied with their jobs and, contrary to the mainstream view of women's work-related behavior, women in blue- and white-collar jobs attribute more importance to pay and work content than to congenial co-workers. Nevertheless, a sizable minority of blue-collar women are less satisfied with their work because of harassment from male coworkers. Our study challenges traditional assumptions about women's priorities in the workplace and supports the feminist argument that male workers play an important role in perpetuating job segregation. Employers, however, have clearly exaggerated the tensions between male and female workers, and management resources could be used more effectively to achieve equal employment opportunities.

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