The value and attitudes of women towards gender in working and learning environment: A case of automotive industry

The automotive industry, which has taken the first place in Turkey's exports for the last 13 years, demands an increase in the employment of female employees in accordance with the general trend in the world. What is expected of female employees is to overcome the talent crisis and increase productivity. The fact that women are employed and visible in automotive-related areas is unusual, given the common expectation of their gender roles. In the context of traditional patterns; jobs such as the automotive sector, repairs, vehicle information and vehicle use are considered male jobs and women are considered to be inadequate. Similar stereotypes apply to the education of female students in the field of engine vehicles technology, vocational and technical education institutions, which are related to automotive sector. Both female employees and students experience the consequence of trying to exist in a male-dominated field to be mocked and disregarded as out of place. Thus, female employees and students stay away from the units they want to work at. The discriminatory practices they face while working in the sector and studying in the field have detrimental consequences on them. These negative experiences of female employees and students in the context of gender cause that they are more sensitive to gender roles. Female working in the sector and students studying in the field think that balances have started to change for gender roles with social and economic transformations. The most important indicators of this are the active participation of women in the working life and the increase in the household duties and responsibilities of men. In addition, it was found that the gender-based social division of labor was considered reasonable by women after having children. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews with 20 women working in the after-sales technical service area of the automotive industry and 20 girls studying in the field of engine vehicles technology in vocational and technical education institutions. Keywords: Gender, Automotive Industry, Field of Engine Vehicles Technology, Gender-Based Division of Labor, Attitudes