The postfeminist ideology at work: Endorsing gender essentialism and denying feminine devaluation in the case of design work

Abstract

Feminist scholars define ‘postfeminism’ as a set of ideas that both endorse and disavow feminism. Recent work documents postfeminism in interviews of women talking about experiences with gender inequality at work. The present study extends existing theorizations by showing how postfeminism obfuscates ongoing inequality at work. To do this I specify postfeminism in the terms of two mechanisms by which work becomes gender typed: gender essentialization and feminine devaluation. By relating the literature on postfeminism to sociological research on the persistence of gender typing of work, I show how ‘postfeminist ideology’ amounts to a double entanglement with gender typed work. In other words, postfeminist ideology drives distinct stances towards gender essentialization and feminine devaluation. I draw on 40 interviews with product designers in the United States to show this presents empirically. Designers essentialize differences between men and women designers, even mobilizing difference to claim greater inclusion of women designers, who are thought to empathize best with women consumers. Yet when essentialization is accompanied by feminine devaluation, designers deny it and it goes unrecognized. Because of this, the postfeminist ideology celebrates essentialized gendered differences, but insists on overlooking devaluation, which is a key element of ongoing gender inequality.

The ‘new industrial man’ as unhero: Doing postfeminist masculinities in an Italian pharmacological research centre

“…Another important finding of the study concerns the essentialism of gender differences, which have also been highlighted by other scholars analysing postfeminism as a social discourse (e.g., Gill, ; Ronen, ). The men in the study were quite comfortable talking about gender differences and their experience of working in an organization numerically dominated by women.…”

“…In the second phase, we re‐coded the stories of the seven men interviewed, looking at their understanding and enactment of forms of masculinities. An open coding scheme around postfeminist themes of masculinities emerged through the iterative reclassification of the data, leading to the identification of three themes, reconnected to current literature on postfeminism as a cultural discourse (Gill, ; Lewis, ; Lewis et al, ; Ronen, ) and to discourses and practices of masculinities. These are: (i) the ‘new’ industrial man; (ii) heroic and unheroic stances; and (iii) (re)naturalization of sexual differences (see Table ).…”

“…The construction of gender differences as natural sexual differences emerged as a dominant theme in the interviews, one that reflects postfeminist thinking endorsing gender essentialism, feminine devaluation and its simultaneous denial (Ronen, ).

While Simone advocates the benefits of a numerically balanced workplace in which men and women bring different qualities, he constructs gender differences as biological and natural and assigns women and men a limited set of stereotypical qualities (Kanter, ), based on their historical responsibilities as mothers and hunters.…”

“…This article builds on initial work in management and organization studies (MOS) attempting to understand the influence of postfeminism as a discourse on aspects related to gender in the workplace (e.g., Gill, Kelan, & Scharff, ; Kelan, ; Lewis, ; Lewis, Benschop, & Simpson, ; Liu, ; Ronen, ). Specifically, it draws on the notion of ‘postfeminist masculinities’ (Rumens, ) to examine and advance research on contemporary men and masculinities in the workplace and to explore the intersections between postfeminist masculinities and continuing gender inequalities at work.…”

“…The article advances masculinity theory by offering a nuanced analysis of how masculinities and men are affected by paradoxical contemporary pressures for more egalitarian gender relations and a renewed emphasis on patriarchal traditions, which continue to support the gendering of the workplace. This article builds on initial work in management and organization studies (MOS) attempting to understand the influence of postfeminism as a discourse on aspects related to gender in the workplace (e.g., Gill, Kelan, & Scharff, 2017;Kelan, 2018;Lewis, 2014;Lewis, Benschop, & Simpson, 2017;Liu, 2019;Ronen, 2018). Specifically, it draws on the notion of 'postfeminist masculinities' (Rumens, 2017) to examine and advance research on contemporary men and masculinities in the workplace and to explore the intersections between postfeminist masculinities and continuing gender inequalities at work.…”