Graduation Date
2004
Document Type
Thesis
Program
Master of Arts degree with a major in Sociology
Committee Chair Name
Dr. Sing Chew
Committee Chair Affiliation
Cal Poly Humboldt Faculty or Staff
Second Committee Member Name
Dr. Mary Virnoche
Third Committee Member Name
Dr. Donna Schafer
Keywords
Sociology
Subject Categories
Sociology
Abstract
In the workplace, women workers generally face problems such as inequality, discrimination and sexual harassment. This research allows me to identify, explore, and analyze the socio-professional factors that prevent women’s full involvement and their promotion in the workplace in Benin. The research presents an analysis of perceptions of working women and the effects of these attitudes on the professional life of women. It also considers the effectiveness and pertinence of gender awareness in the workforce in Benin. What people of Benin think and say about working women, their comprehension of women’s professions and the behaviors that these perceptions induce, on one hand, and the study of gender analysis policies on the other, constitute the main foci of this study. The research intends to identify the socio-professional stereotypes that prevent women from breaking through the “glass ceiling” and how gender analysis can help to assess them. To do so, it is important to describe the relationship and the roles played by men and women, and examine statements used against women workers in Benin. iv Furthermore, I wish to identify the origins of such perceptions, to describe the socioprofessional environment in which women work and to analyze the impacts of their work using gender analysis as a basis. Stereotypes and other perceptions prevent working women from breaking through the “glass ceiling” and moving from the “sticky floor” via promotion. Benin’s cultures are in part responsible for these perceptions. At the end of this study, I show that: (1) there exists gender bias in Benin; (2) Benin’s society is schizophrenic. While Benineses encourage the promotion of women, they use arguments and behaviors that prevent women from success and promotion. Culture is dynamic flexible and changeable.
Recommended Citation
Amoussou, Hermine G., "Social Perception of Working Women in Benin: Gender Analysis" (2004). Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects. 2393.
https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/etd/2393