Mamas, Travel Agents and Lot Lizards: Female Gender Stereotypes and Trucking
Presentation Type
Oral and/or Visual Presentation
Presenter Major(s)
Anthropology
Mentor Information
Janet Brashler
Department
Anthropology
Location
Kirkhof Center 2216
Start Date
11-4-2012 2:30 PM
Keywords
Changing Ideas/Changing Worlds, Culture, Gender, Identity, Media, U.S. Diversity
Abstract
This presentation, as part of a larger on going study, examines gender stereotypes associated with the occupation of truck driving. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, of the over three million people who make their living as truck drivers, only six percent are female. Using content analysis, gender roles and stereotypes are explored by analyzing a sample of The Trucker, a twice-monthly publication available both online and in print distributed to grocery stores, truck stops and other locations. Preliminary results suggest that women rarely drive solo and are employed most frequently as part of a husband-wife team, or work in dispatch or other office environments. Further, preliminary analysis of photos of women in The Trucker suggest that most women are represented as "feminine", while relatively few women are "androgynous" or "masculine" in how they are represented.
Mamas, Travel Agents and Lot Lizards: Female Gender Stereotypes and Trucking
Kirkhof Center 2216
This presentation, as part of a larger on going study, examines gender stereotypes associated with the occupation of truck driving. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, of the over three million people who make their living as truck drivers, only six percent are female. Using content analysis, gender roles and stereotypes are explored by analyzing a sample of The Trucker, a twice-monthly publication available both online and in print distributed to grocery stores, truck stops and other locations. Preliminary results suggest that women rarely drive solo and are employed most frequently as part of a husband-wife team, or work in dispatch or other office environments. Further, preliminary analysis of photos of women in The Trucker suggest that most women are represented as "feminine", while relatively few women are "androgynous" or "masculine" in how they are represented.