Workplace Dress Choices of Women and the Role of Gender Expectations

Yıl 2023, Cilt: 38 Sayı: 4, 951 - 968, 06.12.2023

Ela Burcu Ucel , Olca Sürgevil Dalkılıç , Zeynep Ertekin , Bengü Oflaç

https://doi.org/10.24988/ije.1274840

Öz

Workplace attire choice is one of the contexts where gender roles and expectations influence working women. The current study aimed to explore the factors that working women take into consideration when deciding what to wear to work. A qualitative research design is used due to the exploratory nature of the study, and in-depth interviews with 16 white collar women were conducted. Findings can be grouped under three main themes: social and organizational expectations about women’s workplace attire, gender discrimination in the workplace based on attire, and the influence of workplace attire on women. The results verify that women’s workplace dress preferences are shaped by gender expectations; women have to keep a multiple-faceted balance about their workplace attire, and they feel themselves under constant control in terms of what they wear in the workplace.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Gender, Workplace Attire, Female Employees, Tokenism, Crabs in a Bucket

Toplumsal Cinsiyet Yansımalarıyla İş Yerinde Kadın Çalışanların Giyim Tercihleri

Öz

Toplumsal cinsiyet rollerinin ve beklentilerinin çalışan kadınlar üzerinde etkisini gösterdiği alanlardan birisi de giyim tercihleridir. Kadınların giyim ve görünümlerini düzenlerken dikkat ettikleri unsurların neler olduğunu araştırmayı amaçlayan bu çalışmada nitel araştırma yöntemi kullanılmış ve 16 beyaz yakalı kadın çalışandan derinlemesine görüşmeler aracılığıyla veri toplanmıştır. Çalışmada elde edilen sonuçlar kadının iş yeri giyimine dair toplumsal ve örgütsel beklentiler; iş yeri giyimi üzerinden cinsiyet ayrımcılığı ve iş yeri giyiminin kadın üzerindeki etkileri şeklinde gruplandırılmıştır. Sonuçlar genel olarak iş yerinde kadın çalışanların giysi tercihlerinin toplumsal cinsiyet rollerine dair beklentilerle şekillendiğini veya şekillendirildiğini, kadınların iş yerlerinde giyimleri söz konusu olduğunda çoklu dengeleri gözetmek durumunda kaldığını ve giyimleriyle sürekli denetim altında hissettiklerini göstermektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Toplumsal Cinsiyet, İş yeri Giyimi, Kadın Çalışan, Tokenizm, Yengeç Sepeti

Kaynakça

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