I would like to thank Rosalind Gill, Julia Nentwich, the three anonymous referees, and the editors of this special issue for their useful comments on earlier versions of this article. I presented this article at the Academy of Management Meeting in Anaheim, California in 2008 where it was nominated for the William H. Newman Award. Rachel Dunkley Jones and Alice Mah proofread and edited this article at various stages and Anne Humbert translated the abstract into French for which I am grateful. The Graduate College Gender Studies and Knowledge Society at the University of Zurich, the Swiss Graduate College Gender Studies, and the German Educational Exchange Service (DAAD) supported the research on which the article is based. I wrote this article while based at the Centre for Women in Business at London Business School.
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Research Article
Gender fatigue: The ideological dilemma of gender neutrality and discrimination in organizations†
Article first published online: 18 JUN 2009
DOI: 10.1002/cjas.106
Copyright © 2009 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Issue
1936-4490/asset/cover.gif?v=1&s=6c9167ba5b2fbbb0c487866a37e6918bd7b79186 "Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences / Revue Canadienne des Sciences de l'Administration")
Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences / Revue Canadienne des Sciences de l'Administration
Special Issue: Part 1: Gender and Diversity in Organizations
Volume 26, Issue 3, pages 197–210, September 2009
Additional Information
How to Cite
Kelan, E. K. (2009), Gender fatigue: The ideological dilemma of gender neutrality and discrimination in organizations. CAN J ADM SCI, 26: 197–210. doi: 10.1002/cjas.106
- †
Publication History
- Issue published online: 15 SEP 2009
- Article first published online: 18 JUN 2009
- Abstract
- References
- Cited By
Keywords:
- JEL classifications: J71, M14;
- gender discrimination;
- gender inequality;
- post-feminism;
- ICT work;
- discourse analysis;
- organization studies
- discrimination fondée sur le sexe;
- inégalité entre les sexes;
- post-féminisme;
- employés de TCI;
- analyse du discours;
- études d'organisation
Abstract
Although gender discrimination remains a feature of working life in many contexts, research on gender in organizations has shown that workplaces are often constructed as gender neutral. This poses an ideological dilemma for workers: how can they make sense of gender discrimination at work while presenting their workplace as gender neutral? This article explores that dilemma through an analysis of how information communication technology (ICT) workers talk about gender discrimination. Instead of denying gender discrimination, workers acknowledge it can happen but construct it as singular events that happened in the past and they place the onus on women to overcome such obstacles. Navigating the ideological dilemma around gender neutrality and discrimination, interviewees display what the article characterizes as gender fatigue. Copyright © 2009 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Bien que la discrimination fondée sur le sexe soit une caractéristique du monde du travail dans plusieurs contextes, les recherches sur la parité homme/femme dans les entreprises ont montré que les lieux de travail sont souvent conçus de façon non sexiste. Cette situation pose un dilemme idéologique aux travailleurs: comment peuvent-ils comprendre la discrimination fondée sur le sexe s'ils présentent leur lieu de travail comme non sexiste? C'est sur ce dilemme que cet article se penche, à travers une analyse des discours des employés en technologie de l'information et de la communication (TCI). Ces derniers ne nient pas l'inégalité entre les sexes; ils la présentent plutôt comme des épiphénomènes qui ont eu lieu dans le passé et estiment qu'il revient aux femmes de la combattre. Tiraillés entre le non sexisme et la discrimination, les sujets interrogés souffrent de ce que nous appelons «gender fatigue». Copyright © 2009 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.