Journeys of the uninvited: A feminist oral history of skilled tradeswomen in the auto industry.
详细信息
文摘
It has been 30 years since women first became members of the auto industry skilled trades workforce on a permanent basis. That historic event marked the culmination of a long struggle to change public policy, federal and state laws, and collective bargaining agreements. The legal right of entry did not mean that women were welcomed into these nontraditional, White-male-dominated job classifications. They experienced discrimination, harassment, and hostility. Women were thought to be incapable of doing skilled trades work. Journeymen often refused to train or work with them. Physical and verbal abuse were common. The eventual success of these pioneering women reveals the importance of individual effort in creating and sustaining the process of social change. Using feminist oral history methodology, this study examines the experiences of 15 Michigan women who carved out careers for themselves in these male enclaves. The individual will of skilled tradeswomen, their determination and willingness both to work with and confront men contributed to changing the work environment in the skilled trades in the auto industry from hostility to acceptance. These pioneers have held the door open for other women to follow, but their experiences also suggest systemic and organizational problems that prevent significant numbers of women from entering and succeeding in the skilled trades today. The feminist oral history methodology developed for this dissertation draws upon feminist research practice, feminist standpoint theory, and oral history theory and traditions. It is a model which emphasizes both the process and the project. Feminist oral history challenges the researcher to keep participants and their knowledge in the foreground and to produce a text which illuminates the social relations revealed by the subjects. The use of an unstructured interview format and adherence to four essential practices (i.e., mindfulness, the ethic of caring, vulnerability, and reflexivity) contributed to the study. The result is a feminist standpoint text which honors participants and adds the voices of women in the skilled trades in the auto industry to the dominant discourse.