The fact that men and women continue to receive unequal treatment at work is a point of contention among politicians, the media, and scholars. Common explanations for this disparity range from biological differences between the sexes to the conscious and unconscious biases that guide hiring and promotion decisions. Just One of the Guys? sheds new light on this phenomenon by analyzing the unique experiences of transgender men—people designated female at birth whose gender identity is male—on the job. Kristen Schilt draws on in-depth interviews and observational data to show that while individual transmen have varied experiences, overall their stories are a testament to systemic gender inequality. The reactions of coworkers and employers to transmen, Schilt demonstrates, reveal the ways assumptions about innate differences between men and women serve as justification for discrimination. She finds that some transmen gain acceptance—and even privileges—by becoming “just one of the guys,” that some are coerced into working as women or marginalized for being openly transgender, and that other forms of appearance-based discrimination also influence their opportunities. Showcasing the voices of a frequently overlooked group, Just One of the Guys? lays bare the social processes that foster forms of inequality that affect us all.

Auteurice.s:

Kristen Schilt

  • Transidentité Sociologie

    • Commentaire

    Le bouquin ne nous apprends - malheureusement - rien. L'idée encore une fois qu'il y a un double ascenseur lorsque l'on transitionne au boulot. Généralement les personnes transmasc qui passent etc. sont vus gagner  des privilèges, là ou les femmes en perdent (Chapitre 7). Le gros du bouquin s'interesse cependant aux dynamiques en jeux sur la question de la transidentité masculine, des réactions des gens etc. En ce sens, ça reste interessant, même si pour quelqu'un de (EDIT : similairement) concerné.e, aucune surprise. Les personnes interviewées sont quand même plus proche des annees 90' ~ 2k; donc on pourrait esperer que de plus recentes études montrent une certaine amélioration; même si je suis certaines que pleins de points soulevés restent pertinents encore à ce jour.

    Pour finir une petite citation, vu que la fin du livre devient un peu plus théorique : « [...] Yet a closer analysis shows that these two reactions - marginalization or protection - do the same structural work. [...] protective responses maintain a male/female binary by ignoring the implications : that appearance, genitalia, and gender identity do not always line up as expected. [...] the end result for the workplace is the same regardless of reaction : the male/female binary, and the resulting gendered division of labor based on men and women's seeminlgy natural differences, remains unchanged. [...] These workplace experiences in this book raise, to me, serious questions of whether a binary as a form can ever be equal, even if the content of the binary undergoes radical change. Retaining sex but trying to transcend gender expresses a desire to "escape domination" while maintaining "fundamental social categories" (Deplhy 1993, I). Without a focus on undoing sex, the content of gender can change, but natural differences schemas deeply linked to biology and tradition will remain untouched, and inequality will continue as business as usual. » (p.108 et 175)