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‘It's not acceptable for the husband to stay at home': Taking a discourse analytical approach to capture the gendering of work
Author(s) -
Schnurr Stephanie,
Zayts Olga,
Schroeder Andreas,
Le CoyteHopkins Catherine
Publication year - 2020
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/gwao.12408
Subject(s) - work (physics) , order (exchange) , sociology , discourse analysis , gender studies , domain (mathematical analysis) , public relations , political science , business , linguistics , engineering , mechanical engineering , mathematical analysis , philosophy , mathematics , finance
This article illustrates some of the ways in which the notion of (paid) work is actively being gendered, and how these gendering processes take place not only through organizational practices but also in discourses that circulate outside an organization in the private domain. Drawing on 15 in‐depth interviews with women who opted out of their own professional career in order to accompany their husbands on their overseas work assignment to Hong Kong, we demonstrate some of the benefits of using a discourse analytical approach to capturing and identifying the processes through which these women actively (although not necessarily consciously) gender the notion of work, thereby reinforcing the gender order and its male bias. We argue that identifying and making visible these gendered and gendering practices is an important component of, and a potential trigger for, change both in organizations as well as private contexts.