Jämställdhet – ett synligt eller osynligt problem inom organisationer? : En kvalitativ studie om jämställdhet inom tung verkstadsindustri

Sammanfattning: In the early 1960's century, gender equality became a political concept in Sweden, but nearly 60 years later, women and men still do not have the same opportunity and power to form the society and their lives. In 2017 the #metoo movement became viral all over the world and since then the requirement for a gender equal society has increased. According to previous research, this may encourage organizations to examine themselves. Organizations with gender equality leads to increased development and profitability, however, many professions are still gender-marked and stereotypical for men. This is, according to previous research, partly due to the fact that gender notions and stereotypes are produced and reproduced by people within organizations, which makes it important to understand these individuals. Thus, the purpose of this study is to generate knowledge about employees’ view of gender equality in larger organizations, and more specifically in the heavy engineering industry. By comparing the employees’ perceptions and experiences of gender equality, within different departments and levels, the study reflects on how gender equality is perceived and managed in larger organizations. The study applies a qualitative research design and the empirical material is based on a questionnaire, involving 261 respondents. A conclusion is that the recruitment process is significant for the view of gender equality. Men urge for recruitment of more women, whilst they consider gender quotas to occur, and accuse it for being discriminative. These arguments results in a paradox, that contributes to previous research with another aspect of gender equality within organizations. The result also suggests, that there is a generational shift in the heavy engineering industry, where younger women are entering. This points to favourable development for the industry, as younger individuals generally have a more positive approach to gender equality, and since it leads to gender balance. Another conclusion is that the production area confirms the stereotypical performances that exist about them. Similarly, employees in higher positions tend to respond in accordance with what is expected of them. In conclusion, these factors prevent the gender equality work in organizations', that requires the problem to be visualized and problematized.