Understanding the ‘Queen Queer’ phenomenon of women working at male-dominated jobs in Lebanon :defying the ‘3aib’ mystique via redoing gender? -

Abstract

This thesis explores the phenomenon of Lebanese women working at male-dominated jobs. It examines women’s motives for working at traditionally-perceived men-only job sectors, the hurdles these women workers face, and the influences of the job tasks on their gender roles and identities. I used qualitative data collection and analysis methods. Through purposeful sampling, I conducted in-depth interviews with 18 women managers and women workers and these were: 2 policewomen, the manager of Queen gas station and 3 female employees, the manager of Banet Taxi, 4 AUB security officers, the first woman to head the Beirut criminal court, the only female pilot at Middle East Airlines, a female plumbing manager, 2 female drivers, a female vegetable vendor using a cart, and a manager of a pastry and bakery shop. I used sociological theory on the social construction of gender, doing and undoing gender, gender socialization, and other theories to explain the findings. The findings show that a lot of women working at male-dominated jobs don’t reject traditional gender values and roles. They seek to appeal as much feminine as they could, consider household duties as their sole responsibilities, and some even perform womanly-associated work duties at their professions. The interviewees’ perceptions of their gender roles and identities vary. One group of women don’t see any differences between men and women; another group see that there are gender differences, consider their workplace as a totally masculine one, and adopt masculine-related tasks; a third category of women who see that there are gender differences, but perform work responsibilities that they consider more suitable to women; and another who blend both traditional masculine and feminine identity performances. The hurdles the women face are people’s demeaning comments and legal-based and institutional discriminatory policies. The reasons for these women to work at male-dominated jobs are financial necessity, their preference of such type