"The oil and gas industry is one of the richest and most powerful industries in the world. In recent years, company avowals in support of diversity, much-touted programs for ""women in STEM,"" and, most importantly, a tight labor market with near parity in women pursuing geoscience credentials might lead us to expect progress for women in this industry's corporate ranks. Yet, for all the talk of ""the great crew change,"" the industry remains overwhelmingly white and male. Sociologist Christine L. Williams asks, where are the women?
To answer this question, Williams embarked on a decade-long investigation—one involving one hundred in-depth interviews, a longitudinal survey, and ethnographic research—that allowed her to observe the industry in times of boom and bust. She found that when the industry expands, women may be able to walk through the door, but when the industry contracts, the door becomes a revolving one, whirling ever faster, as companies retreat to their white male core. These gendered outcomes are obscured by firms' stated commitments to diversity in hiring and the language of merit. The result is organizational gaslighting, a radical dissonance between language and practice that Williams exposes for all."
By:
Christine L. Williams
Imprint: University of California Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 210mm,
Width: 140mm,
Spine: 18mm
Weight: 408g
ISBN: 9780520385283
ISBN 10: 0520385284
Pages: 262
Publication Date: 12 October 2021
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
List of Illustrations Acknowledgments 1. Gender, Geology, and the Oil and Gas Industry 2. The Oil and Gas Pipeline 3. The Stayers 4. Voluntary Separations 5. Corporate Downsizing 6. Organizational Gaslighting Methodological Appendix Notes References Illustration Credits Index
Christine L. Williams is Professor of Sociology at the University of Texas at Austin. She is the author of Inside Toyland and Still a Man’s World.
Reviews for Gaslighted: How the Oil and Gas Industry Shortchanges Women Scientists
A quick and engaging read, Gaslighted is of particular interest to researchers studying gender, work, and organizations, and is accessible for undergraduate students and those working in industry. * Social Forces * Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates. Graduate students, faculty, and professionals. * CHOICE *