{"id":{"repo_id":"vt","oai_identifier":"oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/73798"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/vt/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/73798","repository":{"repo_id":"vt","name":"Virginia Tech","base_url":"https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Occupational segregation in Namibia: Women's experience doing \"men's work\" in the construction and manufacturing industries","abstract":"Vocational education and training (VET) is one of the key interventions targeting youth unemployment in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Its success in promoting better livelihoods and a more robust economy depends on both the availability and affordability of quality curricula and programs and the pathways leading to the labor market thereafter. Previous research on occupational sex segregation (OSS) has suggested that men and women exhibit different education attainment and confront discrete work opportunities due to social expectations governing women's roles within the home and outside of it. Around the world women continue to be economically disadvantaged and limited in their agency to choose decent work, specifically in male-dominated domains, such as construction and certain manufacturing jobs. This study sought to understand to what extent this was true for women who were trained and working in construction and manufacturing in Namibia. My findings confirm that norms governing ideas of what is masculine and feminine contribute to the channeling of women into professions perceived broadly to be socially appropriate for them in that developing nation. Discriminatory hiring practices and workplace treatment shed further light on why Namibian women may be underrepresented in these domains. The experiences of this study's participants did not necessarily align with past research findings regarding the burden of child bearing and rearing, as family members afforded many of those I interviewed the flexibility to work by helping care for their children. A number of the interviewees also expressed a preference for working with men, challenging the oft-cited development narrative that women ally themselves with other women and tend to view themselves in opposition to men. By providing context-specific information on some of the factors contributing to occupational segregation in Namibia, this study adds to the existing development and feminist literature related to the interplay between the productive and reproductive spheres of women's lives as well as their options and choices concerning each.","abstract_html":"Vocational education and training (VET) is one of the key interventions targeting youth unemployment in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Its success in promoting better livelihoods and a more robust economy depends on both the availability and affordability of quality curricula and programs and the pathways leading to the labor market thereafter. Previous research on occupational sex segregation (OSS) has suggested that men and women exhibit different education attainment and confront discrete work opportunities due to social expectations governing women's roles within the home and outside of it. Around the world women continue to be economically disadvantaged and limited in their agency to choose decent work, specifically in male-dominated domains, such as construction and certain manufacturing jobs. This study sought to understand to what extent this was true for women who were trained and working in construction and manufacturing in Namibia. My findings confirm that norms governing ideas of what is masculine and feminine contribute to the channeling of women into professions perceived broadly to be socially appropriate for them in that developing nation. Discriminatory hiring practices and workplace treatment shed further light on why Namibian women may be underrepresented in these domains. The experiences of this study's participants did not necessarily align with past research findings regarding the burden of child bearing and rearing, as family members afforded many of those I interviewed the flexibility to work by helping care for their children. A number of the interviewees also expressed a preference for working with men, challenging the oft-cited development narrative that women ally themselves with other women and tend to view themselves in opposition to men. By providing context-specific information on some of the factors contributing to occupational segregation in Namibia, this study adds to the existing development and feminist literature related to the interplay between the productive and reproductive spheres of women's lives as well as their options and choices concerning each.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Jonson, Sarah A."],"institution":"Virginia Tech","degree_name":"Master of Public and International Affairs","degree_level":"masters","degree_discipline":"Public and International Affairs","degree_department":"Public and International Affairs","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":["Stephenson, Max O. 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Its success in promoting better livelihoods and a more robust economy depends on both the availability and affordability of quality curricula and programs and the pathways leading to the labor market thereafter. Previous research on occupational sex segregation (OSS) has suggested that men and women exhibit different education attainment and confront discrete work opportunities due to social expectations governing women's roles within the home and outside of it. Around the world women continue to be economically disadvantaged and limited in their agency to choose decent work, specifically in male-dominated domains, such as construction and certain manufacturing jobs. This study sought to understand to what extent this was true for women who were trained and working in construction and manufacturing in Namibia. My findings confirm that norms governing ideas of what is masculine and feminine contribute to the channeling of women into professions perceived broadly to be socially appropriate for them in that developing nation. Discriminatory hiring practices and workplace treatment shed further light on why Namibian women may be underrepresented in these domains. The experiences of this study's participants did not necessarily align with past research findings regarding the burden of child bearing and rearing, as family members afforded many of those I interviewed the flexibility to work by helping care for their children. A number of the interviewees also expressed a preference for working with men, challenging the oft-cited development narrative that women ally themselves with other women and tend to view themselves in opposition to men. By providing context-specific information on some of the factors contributing to occupational segregation in Namibia, this study adds to the existing development and feminist literature related to the interplay between the productive and reproductive spheres of women's lives as well as their options and choices concerning each."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstractgeneral","label":"General Abstract","values":["Vocational education and training (VET) is one of the key interventions targeting youth unemployment in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Its success in promoting better livelihoods and a more robust economy depends on both the availability and affordability of quality curricula and programs and the pathways leading to the labor market thereafter. Previous research on occupational sex segregation (OSS) has suggested that men and women exhibit different education attainment and confront discrete work opportunities due to social expectations governing women’s roles within the home and outside of it. Around the world women continue to be economically disadvantaged and limited in their agency to choose decent work, specifically in male-dominated domains, such as construction and certain manufacturing jobs. This study sought to understand to what extent this was true for women who were trained and working in construction and manufacturing in Namibia. My findings confirm that norms governing ideas of what is masculine and feminine contribute to the channeling of men and women into different occupations. Discriminatory hiring practices and workplace treatment also shed further light on why Namibian women may be underrepresented in these domains. Childbearing and rearing did not excessively burden this study’s participants as family members afforded many of those I interviewed the flexibility to work by helping care for their children. A number of the interviewees expressed a preference for working with men, challenging the oft-cited development narrative that women ally themselves with other women and tend to view themselves in opposition to men. By providing context-specific information on some of the factors contributing to occupational segregation in Namibia, this study adds to the existing development and feminist literature related to the interplay between the productive and reproductive spheres of women’s lives as well as their options and choices concerning each."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["Master of Public and International Affairs"]},{"key":"dc:format.medium","label":"Dc Format Medium","values":["ETD"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Occupational segregation in Namibia: Women's experience doing \"men's work\" in the construction and manufacturing industries"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.committeechair":["Stephenson, Max O. 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Around the world women continue to be economically disadvantaged and limited in their agency to choose decent work, specifically in male-dominated domains, such as construction and certain manufacturing jobs. This study sought to understand to what extent this was true for women who were trained and working in construction and manufacturing in Namibia. My findings confirm that norms governing ideas of what is masculine and feminine contribute to the channeling of women into professions perceived broadly to be socially appropriate for them in that developing nation. Discriminatory hiring practices and workplace treatment shed further light on why Namibian women may be underrepresented in these domains. The experiences of this study's participants did not necessarily align with past research findings regarding the burden of child bearing and rearing, as family members afforded many of those I interviewed the flexibility to work by helping care for their children. A number of the interviewees also expressed a preference for working with men, challenging the oft-cited development narrative that women ally themselves with other women and tend to view themselves in opposition to men. By providing context-specific information on some of the factors contributing to occupational segregation in Namibia, this study adds to the existing development and feminist literature related to the interplay between the productive and reproductive spheres of women's lives as well as their options and choices concerning each."],"dc:description.abstractgeneral":["Vocational education and training (VET) is one of the key interventions targeting youth unemployment in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Its success in promoting better livelihoods and a more robust economy depends on both the availability and affordability of quality curricula and programs and the pathways leading to the labor market thereafter. Previous research on occupational sex segregation (OSS) has suggested that men and women exhibit different education attainment and confront discrete work opportunities due to social expectations governing women’s roles within the home and outside of it. Around the world women continue to be economically disadvantaged and limited in their agency to choose decent work, specifically in male-dominated domains, such as construction and certain manufacturing jobs. This study sought to understand to what extent this was true for women who were trained and working in construction and manufacturing in Namibia. My findings confirm that norms governing ideas of what is masculine and feminine contribute to the channeling of men and women into different occupations. Discriminatory hiring practices and workplace treatment also shed further light on why Namibian women may be underrepresented in these domains. Childbearing and rearing did not excessively burden this study’s participants as family members afforded many of those I interviewed the flexibility to work by helping care for their children. A number of the interviewees expressed a preference for working with men, challenging the oft-cited development narrative that women ally themselves with other women and tend to view themselves in opposition to men. By providing context-specific information on some of the factors contributing to occupational segregation in Namibia, this study adds to the existing development and feminist literature related to the interplay between the productive and reproductive spheres of women’s lives as well as their options and choices concerning each."],"dc:description.degree":["Master of Public and International Affairs"],"dc:format.medium":["ETD"],"dc:identifier.other":["vt_gsexam:9626"],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://hdl.handle.net/10919/73798"],"dc:publisher":["Virginia Tech"],"dc:rights":["In Copyright"],"dc:rights.uri":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"dc:subject":["Namibia","vocational education and training","occupational segregation","Gender","development"],"dc:title":["Occupational segregation in Namibia: Women's experience doing \"men's work\" in the construction and manufacturing industries"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Public and International Affairs"],"thesis:degree_level":["masters"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Public and International Affairs"],"thesis:institution_name":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:20:00Z"}