I am currently registered as a part time external research student with the Open University. I am now in my first year of study and hope that the thesis that will be produced after several more years of work will ultimately result in being awarded a PhD. The title of my research is:

Secretaries and bosses:
A systems analysis of the gendered office hierarchy

Let me start by giving you some background information and details of my previous experience. Having been employed in secretarial roles for over twenty years, I have a personal interest in my chosen topic. Although there are many aspects of the work that I have enjoyed, I have also experienced frustrations. Some of these were responsible for my deciding to enroll with the Open University as an undergraduate student when I was 32. The seven years it took me to complete my degree were a hard slog and there were certainly downs as well as ups, but the overall experience was exhilarating.

Why focus on gender?
It is true that identification with "women’s issues" can be problematical. In 1996 I was advised, by a female personnel manager who had my best interests at heart, to delete the fact that I had completed a course in "Women’s Studies" from my CV as prospective employers "might think that I was a feminist". In my experience if feminism exists in today’s office life, it remains quiet and is kept very well hidden. I find this very interesting.

It is also true that what is "known" in the office and what is openly discussed can be very different things, and this silencing poses an obstacle to discovering the reality of office work. Confidentiality and loyalty are two characteristics often associated with the boss-secretary relationship so this is a particularly complex subject and, therefore, an interesting one for a systems analysis.

However, by guaranteeing anonymity to participants and by applying a holistic systems approach to the gathering and analysis of data, I do hope to be able to gain insights which will enable me to develop a better understanding of the gendered relationships involved in office work.

I believe that my research will be of interest at various levels in organizations as the (hetero)-sexualised nature of the role of secretary is not only problematical for those secretaries who find their own work trivialised and career prospects limited, but also for those women who do achieve management status.