The market for gender-equality expertise: providing services to public and private organisations in France

Abstract

This article analyses the rise and functioning of the professional gender-equality consulting market in France on the basis of 63 interviews, participant observation and document review. It first examines the socio-historical process of creating the market and highlights the role of public action. It then investigates the market structure and reveals a division between two ideal-typical segments, before presenting some overlaps and circulations between them. It finally discusses existing power relations within the market and ambivalent public regulation, arguing that weak state commitment and low social pressure hinder the potential for transformative change brought about by gender-equality consulting.

Addressing racism and Islamophobia under the rules of colorblindness: When social movements engage in category work to reform the meanings of regulatory categories

“…These categories can sometimes remain vague and little operationalized, but movement actors—be they insider activists or external SMOs—can develop practices and blueprints that both incarnate and orient the meaning of these categories. Similarly, scholars can explore how feminist movements are currently developing new programs and reforms to address sexist and sexual violence, sexual harassment, and sanction procedures in some countries under the dominant and well-established categories of gender equality, which first meant reducing the pay gap and ensuring equality of opportunity (Blanchard, 2019). Using well-established categories as leverage to implement more stringent practices and controversial categories, especially through the development of local practices and category reform, is worth investigating further.…”

Feminism through the market? A study of gender‐equality consultants in France

“…Although demand for GE services is sensitive to legislative and social pressure, it is historically quite low (Blanchard, 2019a), and more than half of the companies are still not fulfilling their legal obligations in terms of collective bargaining, with very few soliciting experts to support them (Pochic, 2019). Gender equality is not fully considered a legitimate and priority issue in the business world, resulting in various forms of resistance including concealment and relativization of inequalities and opposition to egalitarian reforms (Blanchard, 2019b).…”

“…All the study participants put forward the potential for change brought about their services -a promise to clients that is intrinsic to the consulting industry (Karpik, 2010) -and their aspiration to improve mentalities and/or shift practices in organizations (Blanchard, 2019a). However, at the same time, they show skepticism about the transformative scope of their professional work for several reasons.…”

“…An increasing number of economic actors are now involved, including human resource managers, business leaders and executives, trade unionists, women's networks, and consultants. Driven by public action and renewed attention to corporate social responsibility in the economic world, the market for professional gender equality has indeed expanded since the 2000s (Blanchard, 2019a). This phenomenon is part of a wider process of professionalizing and the rise of expertize in all countries and contexts where gender-equality (GE) policies are deployed (Bustelo et al, 2016;Cîrstocea et al, 2019;Griffin, 2005;Hoard, 2015;Kunz & Prügl, 2019;Meier & Paternotte, 2017).…”