Gender change? Locked into industrial relations and Bourdieu
| Date | 01 September 2006 |
| Pages | 468-482 |
| Published date | 01 September 2006 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/01425450610683663 |
| Author | Susan Sayce |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour |
Gender change? Locked into
industrial relations and Bourdieu
Susan Sayce
Bournemouth University Business School, Dorset, UK
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to seek greater academic discussion of gender and gender
change within industrial relations. It attempts to move the theoretical discussion of gender away from
universal systems theories of analysis to a more micro multi-layered approach that can accommodate
what is a complex and subtle situation, gendered industrial relations. It commences to theorise why
women in certain institutional frameworks progress whilst women in others do not.
Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative empirical case study approach has been taken to
uncover the nuances of women’s daily experiences of work relationships including industrial relations
in Keylockco, a lock manufacturer.
Findings – The findings indicate that Bourdieu’s theory can be successfully used to analysis gender
change within industrial relation and to explore how women’s differing access to capital can facilitate
their positional progress within hierarchical gender-stratified industrial relations. While the paper
does not offer solutions for improving the position of women within industrial relations it does seek to
stimulate discussion around the positional requirements of industrial relations actors where greater
social, economic, cultural and symbolic capital has accrued to men.
Originality/value – The analysis of empirical data with Bourdieu’s theory of habitus and capital
has the potential to be extended to other sites of industrial relations than the Keylockco case study.
It offers us the possibility to evaluate empirically the progression of women, for example, in
female-friendly unions such as Unison. It is also possible to apply the theory to both national and
international experiences of gendered industrial relations.
Keywords Gender, Case studies,Industrial relations, Trade unions
Paper type Conceptual paper
Introduction
In the context of workplace manufacturing industrial relations there are environm ental
and positional requirements for jobholders that have been traditionally excluded
women around issues of gender (Colgan and Ledwith, 2000). This helps to explain why
women are under-represented in industrial relations leadership roles, within the power
elites that deal with industrial relations issues (Kirton and Healy, 1999; Healy and
Kirton, 2000). For instance, women have traditionally been stereotyped as emotionally
unsuitable for trade union leadership (Cockburn, 1991, 1983). This stereotyping helps
to explain how female characteristics have become associated with lower workplace
status (Schwarzkopf, 2004). Stereotyping has also helped to limit women’s
opportunities to progress into positions where they are able to challenge existing
masculine notions of industrial relations and helps explain how women’s specific
interests as workers have become subordinated to their male colleagues’ and
representatives’ needs. However, this position may be changing in some workplaces as
gendered power relations shift (Sayce, 2005).
Research into a lock manufacturing company’s industrial relations has discovered
that advances in women’s roles in industrial relations can occur. The case study of
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/0142-5455.htm
ER
28,5
468
Received August 2005
Revised December 2005
Accepted December 2005
Employee Relations
Vol. 28 No. 5, 2006
pp. 468-482
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
0142-5455
DOI 10.1108/01425450610683663
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