Crossing the Line: How Women in the Building Trades Interpret and Respond to Sexual Conduct at Work

Abstract

A significant number of women who experience sexual conduct in the workplace do not define it as sexual harassment. This has caused a discrepancy between social science measures of sexual harassment and women’s perceptions and experiences. As a consequence, studies have begun to examine how workers distinguish between wanted and unwanted sexual behavior. Through in-depth interviews and ethnographic fieldwork with women who work in the building trades, this study examines how tradeswomen interpret and respond to the sexual conduct of their coworkers. Using a micro-politics of trouble framework, the author shows how interpretations of sexual conduct are shaped up exactly in the process of responding to problematic interactions. The analysis finds that many initial responses to unwanted sexual conduct attempt to restore good relations between coworkers. However, if the sexual conduct is considered extreme or if initial attempts to resolve the trouble are unsuccessful, the actions may be reinterpreted and responded to informally as actions that “cross the line” even as tradeswomen face constraints in exercising formal punitive measures.

When Working Hard Is Not Enough for Female and Racial/Ethnic Minority Apprentices in the Highway Trades

“…While it is obvious that there are few women and people of color on job sites, acceptance of the “good old boys' club” culture and reliance on an individualist discourse that emphasizes “working hard” serve to legitimize these ongoing inequalities. Consistent with previous work on the trades, our findings indicated that apprentices often prefer to deal with discrimination and harassment individually and that it often goes unreported (Denissen ; Denissen and Saguy ; Paap ). Addressing discrimination and harassment only on an individual‐level basis maintains systematic inequalities within apprenticeship programs.…”

“…And just they're looking for my reaction and so I just tried not to react” (Cindy, white female, did not complete apprenticeship). For both racial/ethnic and gender discrimination, apprentices described handling it individually as the best option, although several participants noted that certain kinds of experiences demand escalation to supervisors (for similar findings, see Denisson ; Denisson and Saguy ; Paap ). However, when these issues are routinely addressed only on an individual level, the result is the perpetuation of a workplace culture in which usually mild but regularly occurring harassment and discrimination based on gender and race/ethnicity are tolerated.…”

“…As women and people of color have entered the trades, their experiences have provided an opportunity to examine the gendered and racialized dynamics of these occupations. A small body of literature has examined the experiences of women in construction in the United States (Berik, Bilginsoy, and Williams ; Byrd ; Denissen , ; Denissen and Saguy ; Duke et al. ; Hunte ; Moccio ; Paap , ; Price ), Canada (Cohen and Braid ), the United Kingdom (Greed ; Watts ), and Australia (Lingard and Francis ).…”

Gendered Homophobia and the Contradictions of Workplace Discrimination for Women in the Building Trades

“…As a result, tradeswomen prove themselves without the full benefit of their prior accomplishments. When a tradeswoman's reputation precedes her, it is often a liability, as in the case of tradeswomen managing the "sexual harassment lady" (Denissen 2010a) or "looking for a lawsuit" (Paap 2006) label that is sometimes attached to women who complain.…”

Örgütlerde Cinselliğin Düzen Bozucu ve Düzen Kurucu Rolünün Eros ve Oyun Açısından İncelenmesi

“…Ancak, cinselliğin oyunsal ifadelerine içkin olan belirsizlik, bazen hangi davranışın taciz, hangisinin şaka olduğunun anlaşılmasını da zorlaştırır. Diğer bir deyişle, cinsel şaka ve flörtler baskıcı ve dışlayıcı olabilir (Denissen, 2010;Huizinga, 2006: 26;Yelvington, 1996). Örneğin, erkek çalışanlar cinsel mizah ve şakayı kadın çalışanları rencide edebilecek şekilde kullanabilirler (Collinson, 2002).…”