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From Work as Sex to Sex as Work: Networks, ‘Others’ and Occupations in the Analysis of Work
Author(s) -
West Jackie,
Austrin Terry
Publication year - 2002
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 - 10.1111/1468-0432.00172
Subject(s) - parallels , argument (complex analysis) , subordination (linguistics) , agency (philosophy) , sociology , human sexuality , mainstream , work (physics) , sex work , gender studies , focus (optics) , gender analysis , epistemology , social science , political science , law , physics , mechanical engineering , medicine , linguistics , biochemistry , chemistry , philosophy , optics , family medicine , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , engineering
While once upon a time the social science of work and organization neglected or marginalized gender and sexuality, we have now lost sight of what people actually do, that is to say the activity of work. Gender and sexuality have been identified as crucial to organizational dynamics and, notwithstanding different theoretical emphases, this paradigm has become increasingly influential. We argue (contrary to most of its protagonists) that — within this model — the significance of sex and gender for organization rests principally on their role in the production of identities rather than in what they can tell us about production or work in any wider sense. The article highlights parallels with the ways in which prostitution is now generally understood, whether the emphasis is on subordination or agency. This literature also emphasizes gender relations and identities, even where the focus is on re–writing ‘sex as work’. We argue that this focus neglects the wider networks in which all work, whether mainstream or otherwise, is embedded and that a full analysis must take due account of both these networks and the discursive production of identities. Examples — of work in the finance and sex industries — are used to substantiate this argument and a case is made for the importance of the Chicago School’s analysis of occupations.