Gender as Symbolic Capital and Violence: The Case of Corporate Elites in Turkey

Abstract

Based on a Bourdieusian approach, drawing on qualitative analyses of 63 life interviews, our study demonstrates that gender is performed as both symbolic capital and violence by corporate elites within the dominant ideologies of patriarchy and family in Turkey. Our analysis reveals that, in the male-dominated context of Turkey, female elites appear to favour male alliances as a tactical move in order to acquire and maintain status in their organizations, whereas male elites appear to remain blind to the privileges and constraints of their own gendered experience of symbolic capital and violence. Our study also illustrates that gender order is still preserved, despite beliefs to the contrary that equality in education, skills, experience and job performance may liberate women and men from gender-based outcomes at work

Let the right one in: A Bourdieusian analysis of gender inequality in universities’ senior management

“…(Male, Head of Administration)Cultural fit has been argued to reproduce power relations and inequalities, for example, Doyle, Goldberg, Srivastava, and Frank () found that new employees changed their linguistic style over time to fit into their new organization. Symbolic capital may offer an explanation for the proportionally fewer women in senior management roles in general (Ossenkop, Vinkenburg, Jansen, & Ghorashi, ; Yamak, Ergur, Özbilgin, & Alakavuklar, ). Women professional staff in universities are not reported to have any less social capital than men (Sagas & Cunningham, ), and up to ‘middle management’ women have no less economic capital than men (Equality Challenge Unit, ).…”

“…Symbolic capital may offer an explanation for the proportionally fewer women in senior management roles in general (Ossenkop, Vinkenburg, Jansen, & Ghorashi, 2015;Yamak, Ergur, Özbilgin, & Alakavuklar, 2016). Women professional staff in universities are not reported to have any less social capital than men (Sagas & Cunningham, 2004), and up to 'middle management' women have no less economic capital than men (Equality Challenge Unit, 2013).…”

Equality of opportunity for work experience? Computing students at two UK universities “play the game”

“…In this study, student recognition of the value of work experience to them is taken to be an indication of understanding the rules of the game of graduate employment, where recognition includes attending preparatory workshops, submitting applications and attending interviews. Bourdieu developed the concept of capital, from Marxian ideas in which economic capital shapes society, to the more pluralistic, nuanced, and reflexive framework of capitals (Yamak, Ergur, Özbilgin, & Alakavuklar 2016).…”

“…Bourdieu's concept of symbolic capital draws attention to the resources that support recognition of prestige, legitimacy, meaning, value and power (Navarro 2006;Yamak et al 2016). Tomlinson (2017) argues that this framework supports investigations of the myriad resources (or deficits) that may support our paths through study to working life.…”

“…Tomlinson (2017) argues that this framework supports investigations of the myriad resources (or deficits) that may support our paths through study to working life. With symbolic capital, there are clear winners and losers (Yamak et al 2016). For example, the Social Mobility Commission (2016), studying career progression in investment banking, identify the importance of a "particular portfolio of economic, social and cultural capital, which is more available to young people from privileged backgrounds" (p iii), including "speech patterns, accent, behaviour and dress" (p84).…”