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This report gives consideration to the position of women process workers in the electronics industry, and discusses the central question of the construction of and values attached to women's skills. The chapters are as follows: Summary and recommendations (external training; inhouse training arrangements; ongoing skills development; costs of training; job classifications and pay arrangements; union issues); Part one, 'Employment opportunities for women': The framework; Women in manufacturing; Part two, 'Women in the electronics industry': Introduction; Project methodology; Electronics: an industry overview; The distribution of work: case study companies; Job classifications and payments; The acquisition of 'skills'; Changes in the organisation of the electronics manufacturing process; Conclusion. Show less

Purpose: The function of early childhood education (ECE) has shifted from mothering to nurturing child development in Hong Kong. Teaching in kindergartens seems to be more attractive to men nowadays. The purpose of this paper is to explore the issues of male participation in ECE through a case study of a local kindergarten. Design/methodology/approach: A case study methodology was used in the research design and the data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The interviewees all came from a single, case study school, and included the kindergarten principal, head teacher, teachers, both Chinese and foreign nationals, and parents.

wFindings: The findings of the study indicated that most of the school staff support hiring male teachers in kindergartens and perceive that male teachers play an important role in educating young children. On the other hand, the views of parents who participated in the study were divided. This reflects gender bias on the part of parents. Originality/value: Minimal research on male participation in kindergartens has been conducted in Hong Kong. The findings of the study shed some light on the issues of male participation in ECE in a Chinese context. It is argued that overcoming the low participation of male teachers in ECE will require changes in deeply rooted institutional and management practices. From a wider perspective, providing better career prospects and improving the professional status of kindergarten teachers will attract more men to teach in kindergartens.

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This report suggests that, despite progress, gender equality continues to be elusive. Some areas essential for the achievement of women's empowerment, such as STEM, still lack women's participation. This report, a collaboration between UNICEF and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), seeks to call attention to the potential of STEM education to transform gender norms in the education system, to improve quality learning opportunities for girls, and to highlight key actions that can accelerate girls' transition between education and technical expert jobs in STEM industries. Critically, STEM education also has the potential to contribute to personal empowerment, transformation of communities and nations, and building economies for the future.

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In China, entrepreneurship remains a non-traditional career for women, but little is known about how young single women may opt for entrepreneurship against the social penalty. This study focuses on single female entrepreneurs and finds them being stigmatised as doing inappropriate jobs and (consequently) staying single. The interviewees responded differently, by (1) coordinating their career and family formation plans to make them compatible, (2) justifying their being single based on their entrepreneurial achievements and (3) compensating for their deviance and using their economic capability to fulfil other family roles. In contrast to the 'androcentric' business model based on carefree agents, female entrepreneurs illustrate different forms of agency to accommodate career aspirations and family duties. Given China's market-oriented reforms, persisting gender beliefs and the socialist legacy, this study illustrates women's fluid and interactive agency in response to the gendered penalty in non-traditional careers.

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This research project tracked a cohort of nine female trainees as they completed their apprenticeships as line mechanics or cable jointers in the electricity supply industry in New Zealand. The key findings relate to how the women negotiated their way as trainees in a traditionally male trade, and also to the human resource practices that were used by their employers through this process. The findings draw attention to the skills that women bring to these non-traditional trades that differ from those usually offered by male trainees. They also identify a need for work and family networks to support women working in non-traditional trades, and for work practices to address health and safety concerns that may be specific to (or more likely to be experienced by) women. The attitude of women trainees to health and safety practices were described as an asset. Some teams were unsure how to work with the women and a protective attitude did at times hinder the women's progress. Rough patches were able to be navigated in large part through good support from whanau and family, other trainees and workplace mentors. However, levels of resistance to having women in these roles did not wane considerably among operational staff. Good human resource practices helped to integrate the women but some challenges remain, for example, in how women can reconcile long and unpredictable hours with family responsibilities.

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The Audi Women in Automotive project was jointly developed by Mission Australia and Audi in order to encourage mothers/long term unemployed women to enter a non-traditional field of employment, the automotive industry. The pilot program ran for eight weeks in late 2017, with participants undertaking both TAFE training in Automotive Administration and a vocational placement within an Audi dealership. This report presents the findings of an evaluation designed to assess the effectiveness of the pilot program in building participants' confidence, work skills and knowledge. This evaluation draws upon both quantitative and qualitative methodologies in order to gain a thorough understanding of participants' circumstances and experiences within the program, as well as their outcomes.

From the evaluation it is clear that the overall sentiment towards the Audi Women in Automotive project was very positive, with high levels of participant satisfaction and most suggesting a strong likelihood to recommend the program to others. The evaluation found that all participants felt they had developed their skills through taking part in the program, half indicated gaining work experience and one third indicated improved confidence in the job market as a result of their participation. The evaluation also revealed that a particularly important benefit derived from taking part in the program was improved self-confidence. At the conclusion of the program, all participants felt that the program would help them re-enter the work force, 80 per cent said that they were now interested in working in the automotive industry and 80 per cent also felt that being involved in the program had made them more confident in their ability to manage their time between home and work. The program's mix of theoretical and practical learning experiences was valued by participants, as were the flexible hours and relatively short duration of the program.

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By directly accessing women's accounts of their active and ex-volunteer fire-fighting at the Australian Country Fire Authority (CFA), this paper seeks to understand women's experiences in fire-fighting. The study documents the voices of women in work where they are mostly conspicuous by their absence, thus contributing to the small body of empirical studies of women in fire-fighting. Findings confirm the underrepresentation of women and provide evidence of horizontal and vertical gender segregation. Women fire-fighters are significantly challenged and discriminated against by individual and organisational behaviours. Other findings of this study are the co-existence of hostile and positive job factors for women fire-fighters; and women's tolerance for complexity and paradox. These are scarcely documented in the literature on non-traditional occupations for women, and the paper suggests explanations based on concepts such as agency and coping strategies. Although women fire-fighters at the CFA had only a partial understanding of factors contributing to gender segregation, they voiced a desire and directions for organisational improvement to address gender issues.

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This publication is part of the commitment of the South Asia Department of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to deliver gender equality results. The case studies featured herein fall within priority areas identified in ADB's country partnership strategy for Bhutan, specifically transport, energy (including rural electrification), and finance and private sector development. The case studies provide an overview of how gender issues can be addressed through projects that promote road workers' and their families' access to services, such as water, electricity, health, and education; provide skills training as solar engineers; offer technical and vocational training to women in nontraditional occupations; allocate a fixed percentage of credit; and provide business development services to women entrepreneurs. The case studies demonstrate the effectiveness of integrating gender design features in the projects, such as explicitly targeting women as beneficiaries of the projects, providing for women's access to employment, targeting women to be trained in nontraditional occupations, and identifying niche markets for women entrepreneurs, among others. The contents are as follows: Micro, small, and medium-sized enterprise sector development program; Rural electrification and network expansion project: rural electricians training program; Basic skills development project and rural skills development project; Road improvement project: improving the well-being of road workers. Show less

The purpose of this project is to draw attention to case studies on improving the participation of female students in technical and vocational education and training (TVET) programs formerly dominated by males in selected colleges and training institutions in the Visayas (Region VI) and other regions of the Philippines. The results of the study will throw light on the promotion of equal access for women to TVET programs in selected institutions. The study will elucidate various practices and approaches to gender mainstreaming, especially support systems, such as the legal framework of TVET in the Philippines, information taken from the database of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority’s (TESDA’s) certification in Region VI, laws and legislation concerning women, and the outcomes of related research and other surveys conducted in the past. Specifically, the project desired to identify the lessons learned, which could be employed for: (a) future development and enhancement of TVET curricular programs; (b) improving infrastructure programs; (c) initiating educational reforms in TVET teacher-training and guidance programs; (d) enhancing the role of the family and the community in support of career choices; (e) revisiting the legal framework and policies affecting women’s equal access to education and labour; and (f) examining the intricacies of social and human capital build-up.

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This report was produced as part of the Women In Entry Level Training Project which was initiated by the Vocational Education, Employment and Training (VEET) Women's Taskforce. It documents the 'best practice' case studies found across Australia that promote, recruit and retain women in non-traditional entry level training. The most significant finding of the case studies is the need for genuine and active commitment from senior management to improve recruitment and retention of women in such positions.

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