Gender in a ‘caring’ profession
The demographic and cultural dynamics of the feminisation of the probation service in England and Wales
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21497752 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Matt Tidmarsh (0000-0002-6063-9805, University of Leeds, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 71 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 234-254 |
| Publication date | 2024-09-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Probation Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0264-5505 • E-ISSN: 1741-3079 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/02645505231221240 |
| OpenAlex | W4390410024 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 33 |
The number of women working in occupations that lay claim to professional status has increased markedly in recent decades, but the speed and extent of the ‘feminisation’ of the probation service in England and Wales render it unique. Such change has occurred against the backdrop of attempts to present the service in more ‘masculine’ terms, to increase punitiveness while maximising its efficiency. This article seeks to move explanations for feminisation beyond gender stereotypes about care work. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 38 members of staff from across the probation estate, and with particular regard to the unification of services, it explores the demographic and cultural dynamics of feminisation. The article argues that the sustained (and ongoing) devaluation of probation's professional project, pay and working conditions have impacted retention and recruitment in such a way that has filtered into the gender composition of the service
Business · Currency · Demographic economics · Devaluation · Estate · Political science · Sociology · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Gender Studies · Homelessness and Social Issues · Law · Social Work Education and Practice
The Sociology of the Caring Professions
The Managed Heart
Power in Caring Professions
Labor and Monopoly Capital
Probation and the ethics of care
Patriarchy and Professions
Professionalism in Probation
Doing Probation Work
Can the Ethics of Care Handle Violence
Creating Caring Institutions
Understanding ‘quality’ in probation practice
Doing ‘strengths-based’ research
Appreciative Inquiry and Relationships in Prison
Feminisation of success or successful femininities? Disentangling ‘new femininities’ under neoliberal conditions
Doing gender in public services
On the Consequences of Defensive Professionalism
Reflection and Resistance
In a different voice
When Welfare Professionals Encounter Restructuring and Privatization
Government reforms, performance management and the labour process
The paradoxical processes of feminization in the professions
The Sociology of Professions and the Profession of Gender
Professionalism
| Unique citing works | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2024 - 2026 (3) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |