This book examines common issues and concepts concerning women in non-traditional, male dominated occupations. It explores the question of whether these women are the agents of change or are instead changed themselves. It provides a statistical examination and theoretical analysis of occupational sex segregation in the UK, the rest of the European Union, and the USA. Then, it provides a more in-depth understanding of women's work lives through the experiences of the women themselves in four occupations; management, academia, engineering and the priesthood.

This study explores the relationship between the nature and context of non-traditional occupations and the empowerment status of women in society. Specifically, it examines the extent to which women in non-traditional occupations have been empowered by their skills, knowledge, and position within the Togolese Government's existing training policies for the increased participation of women in non-traditional sectors of the labor force.

"Williams' cleverly conceived study . . . makes for completely fascinating reading. This creative and original research demonstrates for us that the maintenanace and reproduction of gender identity is very different for men and for women and that it is different when men enter a female professional preserve and when women enter one that has been both male and masculine. A wonderful book!"—Nancy Chodorow, author of The Reproduction of Mothering "In this fascinating book, Christine Williams demonstrates that a sociology informed by psychoanalysis can give us important insights into the nature of our society and culture, especially in regard to the ambiguous and ambivalent attitudes that define our gender relations."—Eli Sagan, author of Freud, Women, and Morality

In this multidisciplinary collection of essays, forty-eight social scientists from seven countries examine changes in the organization of work and their impact on people at various stages of the life course.