Preplanning the Integration of Women into the Workforce

Abstract

The number of females entering career areas previously stereotyped as “male only” is increasing in both the public and private sectors. Few would argue that females lack the intellectual capability or moral right to enter and succeed. However, it is rather well established that there are physical differences. These differences could mean that existing tools, equipment, and certain jobs are inadequate for women workers and could hamper their achievement of success. This paper is the end result of a conversation with a female Air Force electrician who indicated that she, as well as other females in the craft skills, were having some difficulty with the tools and equipment they were provided. The conversation led to the undertaking of a study of the adequacy of equipment used by female craft workers in the U. S. Air Force. This paper is a synthesis of the study and interviews I conducted; it is presented in the hope that it will aid human engineers and managers to preplan the integration of female workers into thier workforce.