Women bus drivers and organizational change

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the gender practices of a female urban bus driver who retired after 40 years (1967-2007) in an urban bus company in northern Spain. The main objective of this study was to explore and understand the move from irreflexive to reflexive practices from a gender perspective, and to uncover new key aspects relating to the influence of women in organizational changes. Design/methodology/approach – This qualitative exploratory study (interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA)) contains semi-structured interviews which explore, using a process of analytic induction, the personal- and work-related experiences of a woman who was a pioneer in the traditionally male-dominated field of urban bus services. In order to obtain a broader overview of the organization, and using the same method, four other female bus drivers from the same company were also interviewed, along with the personnel manager. Findings – Three different situations are presented. The first summarizes the woman’s personal motivations and hesitations during the 1960s regarding her decision to become a bus driver, occurring during her adolescence and pre-professional phase; the second illustrates the organizational and social reactions triggered by the (visible) presence of a lone woman in a traditionally male professional environment (resistance); and finally, the third situation shows the empowerment and organizational change which occurred, focussing on the possible deconstruction of the masculine hegemony at the heart of the organization. Originality/value – The IPA points to a new level of visibility of this transgressed traditional role, which combined both individual and collective actions. Her experiences recount how she overcame individual, organizational and social barriers. The authors suggest a new interpretation of this visibility, enabling us to imagine gender practice as an intersection of people, organizational change and society.

Selection of gender‐incongruent applicants: No gender bias with structured interviews

“…Six‐hundred and ninety‐one (563 men and 128 women) applicants were interviewed by 20 interviewers (6 men, 14women). We identified this organization as largely male dominated, in line with research, suggesting that city bus driving is perceived as a prototypically male job (e.g., Cunha et al, ; Sanchez de Miguel et al, ) and news reports, indicating that 87% of bus, streetcar, and subway drivers is male (Moore, ). Specific gender distribution statistics for this organization were not available.…”

“…Similarly, Sacco, Scheu, Ryan, and Schmitt () found no gender bias effects during the hiring of college student applicants for a range of manufacturing positions using a structured interview. The current study aimed to replicate McCarthy et al’s () and Sacco et al’s () findings and to extend them to the position of public transit operator that is perceived and experienced as masculine and male dominated (Cunha, Nogueira, & Lacomblez, ; Sanchez de Miguel, Lizaso, Larranaga, & Arrospide, ). Examining how the structured interview fares in the field with a male‐dominated position is needed, as research thus far has been limited to testing structured interviews with gender‐neutral positions or in simulation studies.…”

“…However, we cannot discount that the magnitude of results may differ across professions. The high public safety stakes of the public transit operator job, coupled with the profession's perceived “masculinity” (Cunha et al, ; Sanchez de Miguel et al, ) and male‐dominated gender distribution (Moore, 2017), increase the likelihood that gender‐biased ratings can seep into the hiring process. However, there may be other jobs with a greater threat of gender bias against women applicants as compared to public transit operators, warranting further research with other professions on the efficacy of the structured interview.…”

Fictionalizing dialogue: interpretative phenomenological analysis in organizational research

“…Although originating in qualitative psychology, IPA's three-fold methodological foundation (an interpretative lens for subjectivist phenomenological analysis to deconstruct phenomena) has much to offer researchers from other disciplines including organizational and management studies (Sanchez de Miguel et al, 2015;Tomkins and Eatough, 2014). IPA researchers encourage interviewees to reflect on memories and perceptions of their experiences (Smith, 2004, p. 40), analyzing what they say and interpreting why they say it.…”

“…narratives, stories, photographs, poetry) gaining popularity within qualitative psychology (Cunliffe, 2002;Abma, 1999;Clandinin and Connelly, 1994;Smith, 2004Smith, , 2011Smith et al, 2009). It has been applied in other disciplines including health (Cassidy et al, 2011), education (Denovan and Macaskill, 2013), organizational studies (Sanchez de Miguel et al, 2015;Tomkins and Eatough, 2014), humanities (Hefferon and Ollis, 2006) and sports sciences (Smith, 2016). IPA is particularly helpful when addressing research problems that cannot be addressed by conventional experimental or survey methodologies, such as "the symbolic dimensions of organizational life" (Prasad and Prasad, 2002, p. 4).…”