1. Objectifs

Intentions :
This article, composed of two studies, aims first «to examine the resistance to addressing questions of gender that was encountered when sharing research results in both studies and, second, to propose solutions favoring the consideration of gender in occupational health research and interventions.» (p. 286) Moreover, work/family balance challenges are also discussed.

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«The first study was conducted among [thirty-five] mainstream, mostly female secondary-school teachers (Study 1) and the second study followed [twelve] female teachers responsible for vocational training in trades with primarily male clientele, where women teachers were in the minority (Study 2).» (p. 285) Dans la première étude, les enseignantes proviennent de la région de Montréal, alors que dans la deuxième étude, elles proviennent de six régions du Québec.

Instruments :
Guide d’entretien semi-structuré

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse de contenu

3. Résumé

«The findings from both studies demonstrate that the teachers’ reactions at the research dissemination meetings contribute to the persistence of gender inequalities. The gender differences and the challenges faced by women observed in Study 1 were attributed to stereotypes and explained by women’s “nature.” This produced the effect that the source of the women’s difficulties was considered to be the women themselves as individuals and implies that it is up to them to rethink their way of doing things so as to avoid difficulties.» (p. 294) Moreover, «[b]ecause of the heavy workload, all the female teachers from both studies and one male teacher from Study 1 indicated that they have trouble in balancing work and family. Some female teachers mentioned that to cope with the workload, they take sick days to finish correcting student work. Teachers in Study 2 have to take courses toward the bachelor’s degree in vocational training in addition to their own teaching load. Completion of a certain number of courses per year is required to obtain a teaching contract and later to access tenure. This context contributes to challenges in work/study/family balancing. Furthermore, last-minute scheduling changes for which they were not consulted also were reported by female participants.» (p. 291)