Profissão e gênero: os desafios de mulheres em carreiras contranormativas

Abstract

The world of work is organized according to a series of principles, among them the principle of gender. Gender relations anchored in machismo and sexism continue to be very present in our society. These relations, constructed throughout history, define which social roles are assigned to men and women. Social constructions about gender roles contribute to the development of beliefs about professions, leading to the idea that there are "feminine professions" and "masculine professions," and that characteristics and skills specific to each gender are necessary for the execution of certain tasks. There has been an increase in the inclusion of women in professions still considered predominantly male, but these advances still clash with sexist conceptions present in the academic and professional world. Based on this premise, this doctoral thesis was developed with the general objective of understanding the challenges faced by women who have chosen to pursue counter-normative careers, from their entry into academia to their insertion into the job market. To make this proposal feasible, five studies were conducted, structuring the thesis into 5 chapters. Chapter 1 is a Systematic Literature Review that sought to analyze the scientific production regarding the inclusion of women in counternormative academic and professional contexts. Its results indicate that there are obstacles related to women's entry and permanence in masculinized spaces. Despite the growing trend of inclusion in counter-normative careers, stereotypes and gender roles still occupy a prominent place in decisions related to the world of work. Chapter 2 is a theoretical study that aimed to discuss sexism in higher education, with an emphasis on the experiences of female students and professors in different fields of knowledge. The experiences of female university students are marked by intellectual discrediting, harassment, and a constant need to prove competence; female professors, in turn, face barriers related to credibility, motherhood, and career advancement in science. Sexism in higher education is a persistent and multifaceted phenomenon, manifesting itself in both explicit actions and symbolic and institutional practices. Chapter 3 presents an empirical, exploratory, and cross-sectional study that aimed to investigate female representation in courses predominantly associated with men at the Federal University of Sergipe (UFS), as well as to analyze female students' beliefs about their professional trajectories in relation to gender. Among the instruments used, the Career and Employability Beliefs Inventory (ICEB) stands out. This inventory assesses a set of beliefs related to an individual's attitudes and behaviors towards themselves, their work, and their positioning in relation to career changes. Among the factors that make up the scale, the Optimism factor presented the lowest average. This factor encompasses aspects related to the ability to deal with errors and potential difficulties throughout one's professional path. The low score on this factor may be associated with the fact that women enrolled in predominantly male courses tend to face specific obstacles and challenges that are not experienced to the same extent by their male colleagues. Chapter 4 also corresponds to an empirical, exploratory, and cross-sectional study, whose objective was to compare the reality of women entering predominantly male courses at the Federal University of Sergipe (UFS) with the data obtained in the previous study. The results again indicated a lower average in the Optimism factor. In contrast, the highest average was observed in the Autonomy factor, which may be related to the need for women in these contexts to develop a greater sense of self-efficacy and independence as a strategy to legitimize their competence in historically masculinized spaces. Chapter 5 is a qualitative, exploratory, and cross-sectional study that aimed to analyze the challenges and obstacles faced by women in entering the labor market and consolidating their careers in counter-normative professional contexts. The results show that professional trajectories are traversed by multiple structural and relational markers. Key factors include female underrepresentation, the constant need to prove competence, experiences of explicit and veiled prejudice, as well as challenges related to professional advancement and institutional recognition. In an integrated manner, the thesis demonstrates that gender inequalities in counter-normative careers constitute a structural phenomenon, produced throughout formative and professional trajectories and sustained by institutional, symbolic, and relational mechanisms that limit women's access, retention, and recognition. By articulating theoretical and empirical evidence, the study broadens the understanding of gender counter-normativity in higher education and offers support for the development of public policies and institutional strategies aimed at promoting gender equity in science and work, contributing to the construction of fairer and more inclusive academic and professional contexts.