The influence of the perceived masculinity of an occupation on risk behavior: The case of firefighters

Lucie Bel-Latour (1) , Marie-Axelle Granié (2)

1 TS2-LESCOT - Laboratoire Ergonomie et Sciences Cognitives pour les Transports
2 AME-MODIS - Mobilité Durable, Individu, Société

an explanatory factor for workers' risk behaviors. We hypothesize that the masculine perception of the firefighting profession will affect perceptions of risk behaviors, feelings of self-efficacy in driving, and reported risk behaviors in occupation-related risk activities and in driving. Gendered perceptions of the profession, risky behaviors in the context of occupational and non-occupational driving, perceptions of the risks and benefits of risky behaviors in occupational and physical activities and self-efficacy as regards risky behaviors as a driver were measured by an online questionnaire that was administered to 501 firefighters (146 professionals and 355 volunteers) in a Département in SouthEast France. The results confirmed our hypothesis that risky behaviors when engaged in physical activities, firefighting activities and occupational driving are more prevalent among firefighters, both male and female and of whatever age, who have a masculine perception of their occupation. The results also show that younger, professional, firefighters reported more physical risk behavior. These different practices may show a greater internalization of masculine social norms on the part of firefighters who are professionals or who have less experience.

Mots clés: firefighters masculinity occupational perception road risk behaviors; firefighters; masculinity; occupational perception; road risk behaviors

Domaines: Sciences de l'Homme et Société

Lucie Bel-Latour, Marie-Axelle Granié. The influence of the perceived masculinity of an occupation on risk behavior: The case of firefighters. Safety Science, 2022, 150, pp.105702. ⟨10.1016/j.ssci.2022.105702⟩. ⟨hal-03986903⟩