MAKE ME A CAKE AS FAST AS YOU CAN - FORCES FOR AND AGAINST CHANGE IN THE SEXUAL DIVISION-OF-LABOR AT AN INDUSTRIAL BAKERY

Jobs considered as 'naturally' women's in one situation are assigned t o men a few years or miles away. We ask how a sexual division of labou r which is so fluid when regarded in a historical perspective appears so rigid when observed at a given time. One type of factor which is va riable historically but very solid and material in a given workplace i s the physical installation which represents a considerable economic i nvestment. Ergonomists and sociologists together studied the forces ac ting on the sexual division of labour in an industrial bakery in Quebe c. Using direct observations, videotaping, questionnaires and intervie ws, we examined the physical characteristics of men's and women's jobs , cultural representations, and union and management practices. We fou nd that physical difficulties were as important as organisational and cultural barriers in maintaining the division of labour, while the age of women workers, union support and economic impetus were significant determinants of change.