Women in "Male" Careers : the Case of Higher Technicians in France

International audienceTechnical skills, especially those that are deemed socially valuable, have always been crucial to the sexual division of labour [Tabetl979, Flamentl985], and industrial societies are no exception [Cockburn 1985], In specific terms, the closer a technical job is related to the production process and the higher its social value (in terms of its role in social reproduction, e.g., the new technologies), the less likely it is to be performed by a woman. Whatever the nature of the job, moreover, a woman is less likely to have access to it when supervisory and administrative functions are involve