Page 44 [44]
IZOLDA TAKÁCS: THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY
1he topic includes the above-mentioned horizontal segregation, the changing
but sharp separation of the feminine versus masculine professions. It is known
that women are overrepresented in the social sphere, but there are still few in
the technical and natural sciences.
According to Katalin Koncz, however, the separation of genders by profes¬
sion is not unnatural because of the different competences and opportunities
of women and men due to biological and social reasons.
She basically suggests that inequalities are actually not caused by segrega¬
tion.” At the same time, I need to mention “that the essentialist argument on
the difference between men and women nevertheless maintains paradoxically
the hierarchy it seeks to break down. It reaffirms the category boundaries
between groups, and the assumption that members of the groups — irrespective
of the nature of the assessment — are essentially different”
The problem, as Koncz says, is nevertheless much rather in labour market
mechanisms,” shaping these natural differences, and the occupational struc¬
ture manifesting itself from that as a social disadvantage.”
This bears significance, however, as the jobs done by men result in higher
prestige. In addition, the difference is also reflected in the salary — the gender
pay gap is clearly to the remarkable advantage of men. The topic is only affected
by the fact that there are few women in managerial positions, whether in female
or male professions or sectors. It is proved primarily by men being leaders even
in an industry or organisation overrepresented by women. This phenomenon
is referred to in literature as the ‘glass elevator/escalator’.
In her study titled Racializing the glass escalator: Reconsidering men’s ex¬
periences with women’s work" Aida Harvey Wingfield describes all men work¬
ing in predominantly or exclusively female professions feeling this particular
glass escalator effect. This is what makes their upward mobility easier and
quicker even in these fields. The glass escalator model was thus an effective
paradigm for understanding the experiences of men doing female jobs.
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Koncz: A munkaerőpiac nemek szerinti szegregációjának jellemzői, 74.
See Phillips 2010 guoted by Kovács-Szabó: Társadalmi nem és szexizmusok, 44.
“This is confirmed by the latest North American studies, which show that men with an active,
intense father role report the same degree of work-life conflict as active mothers on the labour
market (Williams et al. 2013). Williams and his associates approached the issue of why or¬
ganisational practices are not questioned from organisational engagement rather than organ¬
isational structure (Williams et al. 2013). In North American research, a summary shows that
the moral expectation of commitment to work conflicts with the general need for a worker to
work flexibly, even if class attributes are taken into account (Williams et al. 2013)” (Nagy:
Szervezet és nemek, 65).
Koncz: A munkaerőpiac nemek szerinti szegregációjának jellemzői, 75.
Wingfield, A. H.: Racializing the Glass Escalator — Reconsidering Men’s Experiences with
Women’s Work, Gender & Society, 23(1), 2009, 5-26.
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94
95
9.
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