A group of academic researchers has issued a sharp rebuttal to a growing conservative narrative around so-called 'feminised workplaces', arguing the term is being dangerously misrepresented to attack gender equality.
Reclaiming the Term 'Feminisation'
The scholars, Dr Emily J Hogg, Dr Charlotte J Fabricius, and Dr Ida Aaskov Dolmer from the University of Southern Denmark in Odense, express dismay at an anti-feminist definition gaining traction. This view, promoted by thinkers like Helen Andrews, frames feminisation as workplaces being overwhelmed by women and their 'excessive emotions'.
They contend this simplistic interpretation dismisses a critical and feminist understanding of the concept. "If we understand 'feminisation' to mean that contemporary workplaces are overwhelmed by women and their allegedly excessive emotions... then it is easy to see why it might not seem to merit much thought," they write. "But there is an alternative."
The Feminist Analysis of Modern Labour
In their critical framework, 'feminisation' describes the central role of gender in sweeping economic transformations over recent decades. This includes the decline of traditionally masculine industries like heavy manufacturing and the parallel rise of the service economy.
It also critiques the problematic assumption that women's mere participation in paid labour is a definitive measure of gender equality. The core argument is that this process makes visible how contemporary capitalism exploits ingrained ideas about femininity and masculinity.
"The point is not to reiterate gender stereotypes... or to suggest that feminisation is something to be either entirely celebrated or entirely critiqued," the researchers clarify. They explicitly reject the fallacy that women are naturally more caring than men.
A Call for Equitable Working Conditions
The academics warn against the right-wing assumption that any field where women predominate is inherently weakened. They urge critics of the 'great feminisation' thesis not to "throw out the baby with the bathwater."
Their feminist approach reveals a fundamental connection: pay, working hours, and working conditions are inseparably linked to societal definitions of femininity and masculinity. They argue that accurately describing these gendered dynamics is the essential first step toward creating more equitable workplaces for everyone, regardless of gender.
"Accurately describing gendered working conditions is the first step in making them more equitable for all," conclude Dr Hogg, Dr Fabricius (editors of Feminized Work and the Labor of Literature), and Dr Dolmer.
