Who needs to be "more equal" and why? Doing gender equality in male-dominated industries

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to deepen the understanding of inequality regimes in male-dominated industries, specifically in Swedish forestry and mining, by exploring how conceptions of gender, class and place are articulated and intertwined when doing gender equality in these organizations. Design/methodology/approach The article draws on empirical material from four research and development projects inspired by a feminist action research methodology. Findings This paper shows how gender equality works in these male-dominated organizations simultaneously constructing gender, class and place. When men are at the focal point of gender equality, our empirical findings suggest that blue-collar workers in rural areas are described as "being the problem" for gender inequality in these organizations. Addressing specific groups such as women or blue-collar workers in rural areas is not enough to challenge the inequality regimes that exist in these organizations, since a unilateral focus on certain groups leads to skewed problem formulations. Originality/value Research on gender equality work and its relation to intersectionality in male-dominated industries is limited, and by focusing on men and masculinities, this paper contributes to knowledge concerning gender equality in male-dominated industrial organizations.

Keywords

Intersectionality; Feminist action research; Mining; Forestry; Organizations

Published in

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal
2020, volume: 39, number: 4, pages: 337-353
Publisher: EMERALD GROUP PUBLISHING LTD

SLU Authors

• Johansson, Maria

  • Luleå University of Technology

UKÄ Subject classification

Gender Studies

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-01-2019-0042

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/110540