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The Division of Labour and Inequalities Between the Sexes: An Ideological Dilemma
Author(s) -
Benschop Yvonne,
Halsema Lilian,
Schreurs Petra
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
gender, work and organization
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.159
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1468-0432
pISSN - 0968-6673
DOI - 10.1111/1468-0432.00119
Subject(s) - ideology , mainstream , inequality , dilemma , sociology , perspective (graphical) , division of labour , epistemology , organization studies , positive economics , social science , gender studies , political science , politics , law , economics , mathematical analysis , philosophy , mathematics , artificial intelligence , computer science
This article is concerned with the different assumptions and strategies that respondents in the banking sector and the police force use to account for the existence of inequalities between men and women. We search for a perspective that can theorize the different ways in which these employees deal with the existence of inequalities. We examine conceptualizations of the division of labour and of inequalities between the sexes in mainstream organization studies and in liberal, socialist and postmodernist feminist perspectives to organization studies. While these different perspectives highlight different types and causes of inequalities, no perspective can make sense of all the organizational practices in the banks and the police force. We are of the opinion that Billig's concept of ideological dilemmas offers a fruitful starting point to reflect upon the simultaneous existence of the different concepts and provides a valuable framework for our research. It sheds light on the ideological nature of theories, analyses how people think and argue with ideology by bringing in contrary and conflicting notions and opens the possibility of engaging in open dialogue about strategies for change.