Men Working in Female-Dominated Professions: A stigma or facilitation?

Gender roles not only keep men and women in different spheres of family and social life but they also promote gender segregation in the education sector and professional life. There is a lot of research being conducted on women working in male dominated professions but there is scarcity of research regarding males working in female dominated professions. This study was conducted to explore the experiences of men working in female dominated professions. The first phase of this study collected quantitative data about the type female-dominated professions in Pakistan. Based on this data in-depth qualitative interviews were done with 5 professionals using snowball sampling: Nurse, Psychologist, Montessori teacher, Makeup artist/ Beautician, and Bus host. Thematic analysis was used to identify sub-themes presented in this study: (i) Reasons or motivation for joining nontraditional profession; (ii) Reaction of near and dear ones; (iii) Positive aspects of female dominated profession; (iv) Challenges of female dominated profession; (v) Professional journey; (vi) Being a minority in female majority; (vii) Struggle to maintain masculinity and (viii) Future aspirations. Study findings can be used to support male entry and retention in female dominated professions.

Influence of In-House Professional Development on Practices of English Language Teachers in a Private School in Karachi, Pakistan

Teacher is the most important element in raising students' performance. Considering this notion, many organizations/schools conduct professional development programmes for its teachers within the school context, to change their attitudes and to enhance their capabilities. This study explored how a professional development programme conducted by ABC organization enhanced teacher quality and performance. The findings reveal that in-house professional development has enriched teachers' content knowledge and instructional experiences. Moreover, it has also developed their classroom management skills. Schools should plan and administer professional development programmes for improvement and teaching learning process. Apart from conducting these sessions, schools should also provide opportunities to implement learning from the professional development activities in the actual classroom like this school. The school is providing technical and administrative support in implementing learning from professional development sessions. However, there are also some factors that are deterring the implementation of teachers' learning in actual classroom teaching. For instance, the large class sizes and the intensification of work is a big challenge for teachers. This study recommends that professional development should focus on teachers' and students' needs. It should relate to actual classroom situations. Keywords: Influence, Professional development, In-house professional development.