Men as middle managers doing and undoing gender in organizations

Abstract

Although middle managers are often presumed to resist change in organizations, they can act as change drivers. This article shows how men as middle managers aim to act as change agents for gender equality through doing and undoing gender. Through practices such as bonding with women by objectifying them, being engaged in women-focused initiatives and using gender equality to advance their own careers, men as middle managers aim to create gender equality but often reaffirm existing gender inequalities. However, men were more successful in moving towards gender equality when developing those who are different from themselves. The article contributes to understanding the complexities in analyzing and conceptualizing how men as middle managers are undoing gender by showing that many undoing gender practices can lead to a (re)doing of gender. However, only by engaging with those complexities can men in middle management positions become effective change agents for gender equality. K E Y W O R D S change agents, ethnography, gender, men, middle managers MEN AS MIDDLE MANAGERS DOING AND UNDOING GENDERWith men increasingly being conceptualized as central for achieving gender equality in the workplace, it is useful

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“…Door de aanstelling van een topambtenaar als stadsmarinier antiracisme en discriminatie werd ruimte gecreeerd voor andere collega's om vanuit hun verschillende rollen en functies het onderwerp bespreekbaar te maken en maatregelen te organiseren. Met steun vanuit de top blijkt het ook gemakkelijker om het vaak weerbarstige middenkader mee te krijgen (Kelan, 2022), een laag waar vaak veel (impliciete) weerstand zit. Een belangrijke voorwaarde voor verandering is dus het activeren van verschillende actoren in verschillende lagen van de organisatie: champions, voorlopers en voldoende alliantiepartners.…”