• DOI:10.1111/J.1468-0432.2006.00299.X
• Corpus ID: 145124069

Explaining Men's Entry into Female- Concentrated Occupations: Issues of Masculinity and Social Class

@article{Lupton2006ExplainingME,
  title={Explaining Men's Entry into Female- Concentrated Occupations: Issues of Masculinity and Social Class},
  author={Ben Lupton},
  journal={Gender, Work and Organization},
  year={2006},
  volume={13},
  pages={103-128}
}

• B. Lupton
• Published 1 March 2006
• Sociology, Psychology
• Gender, Work and Organization

This article seeks to add to an understanding of why some men enter female-concentrated occupations (and why the majority do not). Drawing on the results of in-depth interviews with 27 men in a range of occupations, I illustrate and interpret the complex and often contradictory ways in which men approach the notion of working in female-concentrated occupations and examine the impact that this has on their occupational outcomes. The data suggest that different attitudes to female-concentrated work cannot in themselves explain men's presence there. Consequently I explore, with particular reference to social class, the context in which attitudes around gender, work and occupational destinations, are framed. I conclude that men's entry to female-concentrated occupations may best be approached, not as an issue of ‘masculinity’ but as one of social mobility operating within a gendered labour market.