Dozier given summer research grant to study female masculinity in the workplace

Raine Dozier, an assistant professor of Human Services and Rehabilitation in Western Washington University's Woodring College of Education, has been given a 2012 Summer Research Grant from the WWU Office of Research and Sponsored Programs. Her research project is titled “Sex, Gender & Jobs: Female Masculinity in the Workplace.”

An excerpt from Dozier's grant proposal illustrates what she will be doing:

“My hypothesis is that masculine and trans females are sometimes involuntarily 'downwardly mobile;' that is, even with skills and education, they are relegated to backstage and blue collar work because their gender presentation is inconsistent with their sex. I also hypothesize that some masculine females are 'voluntarily' downwardly mobile because of gender identity, choosing to work in blue collar jobs that are non-traditional for women. I assert that with increased professionalization and prestige, occupations are more gendered. For example, the uniform at McDonald’s is relatively genderless, while corporate wear is highly gendered. Thus I hypothesize that discrimination and lack of representation is more pronounced among white collar occupations where expected appearance and behavior are more highly gendered. In addition, my initial interviews suggest that when masculine females work in blue collar jobs, they face a 'triple threat' because of their minority status based on sex (female), gender (masculine), and their sexual orientation. I will be exploring this more thoroughly in my ensuing interviews.”