What question did this study set out to answer?

To examine how vocational education and training policy frameworks perpetuate gender inequity through the social construction of skill.

August 20, 2026International Journal of Training ResearchOpen Access

Reference man’s hidden hand: gender, power and the social construction of skill in VET

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KMKit McMahonGriffith University

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Implication

Policy analysis reveals masculinized biases in vocational training frameworks, indicating that gender-neutral skill definitions perpetuate occupational segregation and disadvantage women.

Key Points

To examine how vocational education and training policy frameworks perpetuate gender inequity through the social construction of skill.
Applied transformative gender theory alongside Bacchi and Eveline's 'What’s the Problem Represented to Be?' policy analysis approach.
Evaluated Australian vocational education and training policy documents, including Training Package policies and the Qualifications Reform Design Group project.
Revealed that ostensibly gender-neutral vocational policies embed masculinized assumptions based on a 'reference man' archetype, driving occupational segregation.
Identified critical policy silences regarding workplace culture, caregiving responsibilities, and intersectional disadvantage, demonstrating the inadequacy of deficit-based interventions.

Cite This Study

Kit McMahon (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a86b5da8a91293e6a1cd6b7 https://doi.org/10.1080/14480220.2026.2712978

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Implication

Policy analysis reveals masculinized biases in vocational training frameworks, indicating that gender-neutral skill definitions perpetuate occupational segregation and disadvantage women.

Reference man’s hidden hand: gender, power and the social construction of skill in VET

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

Reference man’s hidden hand: gender, power and the social construction of skill in VET

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

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