Introduction to special issue: Exploring the emergence of moderate feminism(s) in contemporary organizations

Abstract

Drawing on the lens of postfeminism, the emergence of moderate forms of feminism in organizational contexts is explored. Two versions of postfeminism are depicted - the first version which highlights the emphasis placed on the "pastness" of feminism and how as a form of thought and action it is understood as obsolete. The claim of a repudiation of feminism is a central characteristic of early interpretations of postfeminism and presented as a defining feature of this discursive formation. The second version makes visible a shift in postfeminism's narrative which rejects the suggestion that there has been a disavowal of feminism, claiming instead that it has been rehabilitated as 'cool' and 'progressive'. The form of feminism which is treated as valuable is one which is based on the liberal tenets of individualism with an emphasis on individual agency and the rejection of collective action. An instrumental and personalised form of feminism is privileged with feminist action transformed into '...an inner drive, a determination to meet self-directed goals' (McRobbie, 2015: 12). This discussion presents the context for the nine papers contained in the special issue all of which provoke discussion about the presence of feminism(s) in contemporary organizations.

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