Mutual Representations of Women and Men in the Workplace

Abstract

This article aims to study gender relations in the workplace and the different strategies employed by both men and women through the theory of social categorization. In a patriarchal society like Morocco, where men outnumber women in the workforce, what identity strategies will women implement in the workplace? And what social categories will both genders align themselves with in order to gain a favorable position?

Following our study, we were able to validate our hypotheses that men would tend to align themselves with an expert-novice partition, positioning themselves as experts compared to women perceived as less competent. Meanwhile, women would align themselves more with an oppositional partition, in which they are seen as bearers of more positive values compared to men who are associated with negative values.