Gender Dynamics in Midwestern Building Trades: Tokenism and Beyond

Abstract

Analyses of women’s experiences in building trades confirm that hegemonic male organizational culture continues to discourage women’s entry and retention. Theories of tokenism analyze the effects of race, gender, or other group proportions within organizations, suggesting that higher sex ratios in construction would foster a climate more supportive of women. Kanter’s (1977a) theory of tokenism is tested on 2002-3 interview data from women building trades workers in a central-Midwestern U.S. state. These findings support her hypothesis that skewed gender ratios generate tensions among women, as well as between men and women. The heightened visibility of tokens generates polarization between subgroups and promotes role entrapment, undermining solidarity across gender and among women. While tokenism theory predicts tensions between subgroups and among tokens, it must be supplemented by gender-, race- and class-based analyses of privilege for a fuller account of the complex gender dynamics in construction work. Pre-apprenticeship programs for women, mentoring, networking, and advocacy programs have been shown to contribute to increases in tradeswomen’s recruitment and retention.