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Journeys
of the Uninvited:
A Feminist Oral History of Skilled Tradeswomen
in the Auto Industry
by
Ann Mary Francis, Ph.D.
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"The
eventual success of these pioneering women reveals the importance of individual
effort in creating and sustaining the process of social change."
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Dissertation
Abstract
It has been 30 years since women
first became members of the auto industry skilled trades workforce on a
permanent basis. That historic event marked a culmination of a long struggle
to change public policy, federal and state laws, and collective bargaining
agreements. The legal right of entry did not mean that women were welcomed
into these nontraditional White-male-dominated job classifications. They
experienced discrimination, harassment and hostility. Women were thought
to be incapable of doing skilled trades work. Journeymen often refused
to train or work with them. Physical and verbal abuse were common. The
eventual success of these pioneering women reveals the importance of individual
effort in creating and sustaining the process of social change.
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"The individual will of skilled tradeswomen, their
determination and willingness both to work with and confront men contributed
to changing the work environment..."
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Using
feminist oral history methodology, this study examines the experience of
15 Michigan women who carved out careers for themselves in these male enclaves.
The individual will of skilled tradeswomen, their determination and willingness
both to work with and confront men contributed to changing the work environment
in the skilled trades in the auto industry from hostility to acceptance.
These pioneers have held the door open for other women to follow, but their
experiences also suggest systemic and organizational problems that prevent
significant numbers of women from entering and succeeding in the skilled
trades today. |
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"Feminist oral history challenges the researcher to
keep participants and their knowledge in the foreground and to produce
a text which illuminates the social relations revealed by the subjects."
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The
feminist oral history methodology developed for this dissertation draws
upon feminist research practice, feminist standpoint theory, and oral history
theory and traditions. It is a model which emphasizes both the process and
the project. Feminist oral history challenges the researcher to keep participants
and their knowledge in the foreground and to produce a text which illuminates
the social relations revealed by the subjects. The use of an unstructured
interview format and adherence to four essential practices (i.e., mindfulness,
the ethic of caring, vulnerability, and reflexivity) contributed to the
study. The result is a feminist standpoint text which honors participants
and adds the voices of women in the skilled trades in the the auto industry
to the dominate discourse. |
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