The Gender Shift: Disassociating Gendered Behavior from a Predicted Model of Career Disadvantage Among Female Veterinarians
In 2000, Akerlof & Kranton published a social identity theory that aimed to link gender identity with the economic outcome of individuals working in gendered organizations. Their theory predicts that females working in a gender labelled ‘male’ occupation should incur economic penalties for exhib...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Dissertation (University of Nottingham only) |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2016
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| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/36566/ |
| _version_ | 1848795304839610368 |
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| author | Plackett, Harriet E M |
| author_facet | Plackett, Harriet E M |
| author_sort | Plackett, Harriet E M |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | In 2000, Akerlof & Kranton published a social identity theory that aimed to link gender identity with the economic outcome of individuals working in gendered organizations. Their theory predicts that females working in a gender labelled ‘male’ occupation should incur economic penalties for exhibiting behaviors that are typically gender stereotyped as ‘female’, and should therefore feel ambiguity towards work in a ‘male’ occupation if they follow traditional gender stereotypes.
Although they acknowledge that movement of women into a previously male-dominated workforce will have an influence on their predictions, Akerlof & Kranton (2000) do not discuss in any detail how they expect their predicted outcomes to change.
The United Kingdom veterinary industry is currently experiencing an unprecedented gender shift towards a female-dominated workforce, with women outnumbering their male counterparts since 2011 (RCVS, 2014). Historically a gender labelled ‘male’ occupation, veterinary medicine is now an example of a profession that has an occupational gender label that does not match the dominant gender of the workforce.
This study uses Akerlof & Kranton’s (2000) social identity theory as a framework of analysis for understanding how female veterinarians are experiencing and understanding gender as a potential barrier to their career progression, and the impact that the gender shift towards a female-dominated workforce is having on those working within it.
The findings of the study suggest that the dominance of females in the veterinary profession has a larger influence on predicted economic outcomes for female veterinarians than the Akerlof & Kranton (2000) theory predicts. The respondents of this study expressed feeling no disadvantage as a result of gendered behaviors, and instead perceived that career disadvantage for female veterinarians stemmed from the gendered features of the organizations in which they worked. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T19:29:58Z |
| format | Dissertation (University of Nottingham only) |
| id | nottingham-36566 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T19:29:58Z |
| publishDate | 2016 |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-365662017-10-19T16:58:55Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/36566/ The Gender Shift: Disassociating Gendered Behavior from a Predicted Model of Career Disadvantage Among Female Veterinarians Plackett, Harriet E M In 2000, Akerlof & Kranton published a social identity theory that aimed to link gender identity with the economic outcome of individuals working in gendered organizations. Their theory predicts that females working in a gender labelled ‘male’ occupation should incur economic penalties for exhibiting behaviors that are typically gender stereotyped as ‘female’, and should therefore feel ambiguity towards work in a ‘male’ occupation if they follow traditional gender stereotypes. Although they acknowledge that movement of women into a previously male-dominated workforce will have an influence on their predictions, Akerlof & Kranton (2000) do not discuss in any detail how they expect their predicted outcomes to change. The United Kingdom veterinary industry is currently experiencing an unprecedented gender shift towards a female-dominated workforce, with women outnumbering their male counterparts since 2011 (RCVS, 2014). Historically a gender labelled ‘male’ occupation, veterinary medicine is now an example of a profession that has an occupational gender label that does not match the dominant gender of the workforce. This study uses Akerlof & Kranton’s (2000) social identity theory as a framework of analysis for understanding how female veterinarians are experiencing and understanding gender as a potential barrier to their career progression, and the impact that the gender shift towards a female-dominated workforce is having on those working within it. The findings of the study suggest that the dominance of females in the veterinary profession has a larger influence on predicted economic outcomes for female veterinarians than the Akerlof & Kranton (2000) theory predicts. The respondents of this study expressed feeling no disadvantage as a result of gendered behaviors, and instead perceived that career disadvantage for female veterinarians stemmed from the gendered features of the organizations in which they worked. 2016-09 Dissertation (University of Nottingham only) NonPeerReviewed application/pdf en https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/36566/1/FINAL%20DISSERTATION%20-%20H%20PLACKETT%20-%20ELECTRONIC%20COPY.pdf Plackett, Harriet E M (2016) The Gender Shift: Disassociating Gendered Behavior from a Predicted Model of Career Disadvantage Among Female Veterinarians. [Dissertation (University of Nottingham only)] |
| spellingShingle | Plackett, Harriet E M The Gender Shift: Disassociating Gendered Behavior from a Predicted Model of Career Disadvantage Among Female Veterinarians |
| title | The Gender Shift: Disassociating Gendered Behavior from a Predicted Model of Career Disadvantage Among Female Veterinarians |
| title_full | The Gender Shift: Disassociating Gendered Behavior from a Predicted Model of Career Disadvantage Among Female Veterinarians |
| title_fullStr | The Gender Shift: Disassociating Gendered Behavior from a Predicted Model of Career Disadvantage Among Female Veterinarians |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Gender Shift: Disassociating Gendered Behavior from a Predicted Model of Career Disadvantage Among Female Veterinarians |
| title_short | The Gender Shift: Disassociating Gendered Behavior from a Predicted Model of Career Disadvantage Among Female Veterinarians |
| title_sort | gender shift: disassociating gendered behavior from a predicted model of career disadvantage among female veterinarians |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/36566/ |