Keywords

Gender and work, race, family, industrial food production

Abstract

This study examines the experiences of women who work in the meat industry. Drawing from symbolic interaction and standpoint theory frameworks, this research focuses on how gender, race, and nationality influence work experiences and family life for women in comparison to men in the meat industry. This study is based on 15 in-depth interviews with men and women who work in management positions and in the processing rooms of meat companies where non-human animals are disassembled in the production of food. Data collection and analysis were performed using grounded theory methods of inquiry. Participants' stories highlight women's experience in adapting to the organizational culture of the meat industry, strategies of survival in everyday life in the organization, and the conflict between work and family. While women in management positions discuss the process of fitting into the male-dominated organizational culture, women in the processing room experience gender segregation and inequality that prevents moving into the men's world of processing management, a separation that is built into the structure of the facility. This study contributes to the literature on work in the meat industry as well as the sociological research on gender and work, race and ethnicity studies and research on the family.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2015

Semester

Spring

Advisor

Grauerholz, Liz

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Sciences

Department

Sociology

Degree Program

Sociology

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0005634

URL

http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0005634

Language

English

Release Date

May 2015

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access)

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Included in

Sociology Commons

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