Mulholland, Kate (1990) The experiences of class and gender relations and women workers at GEC 1945-1965. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

This study is an ethnographic account of the experiences of a group of women workers at the GEC in Coventry during the post-war decades from 1945-1965. The company since its establishment grew from a single plant to a large multi-national company emerging as the major employer of female labour in the Coventry labour market. In outlining the emergence of the company as a major employer of women this thesis takes account of the character and development of the local labour market - thus providing a framework in which to contextualise the growth and character of the GEC as a 'woman's factory’. A major theme of the thesis concerns the ways women experienced the sexual division of labour, and the way this impinged upon their job choice and preference for the GEC. This question is organized around their experiences of recruitment, selection of working patterns and patterns of wages within the company. A second important theme concerns workplace culture -when the character of management's and women's role will be considered as a feature in the construction of female stereotypes in terms of jobs and skills. Another key theme in the thesis considers women's experiences of skill, training, job experience, promotion and the changing character of job and gender boundaries - whilst exploring such experience within the context of gendered skill and job hierarchies. The question of management control and its implications for women’s experiences constitutes a further important theme. Within this context women's experiences and ways of coping with a variety of management strategies are considered - whilst highlighting the character of change, the fragmentation of work and the importance of gender in shifting labour market conditions. The final theme considers women's perceptions and experiences of resistance and trade union organization.

Item Type:	Thesis or Dissertation (PhD)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Woman
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	General electric company -- History, Women employees -- Coventry (England), Coventry (England) -- Commerce, Gender identity in the workplace -- Coventry (England)
Official Date:	1990
Dates:	Date Event 1990 UNSPECIFIED
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Department of Sociology
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Elger, Tony, 1946-
Extent:	[5], 343 leaves
Language:	eng

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