Acker through the looking glass : exploring gendered sub-structures as a method for understanding the gendering of organizations

Abstract

Within the field of organizational analysis, Joan Acker's concept of the gendered substructure is one of the most widely cited in terms of potential for change yet under-explored in terms of application. In this thesis Acker's framework is explored through analysis of the gendered processes at work over time in a single company---Pan American Airways.

Critical discourse analysis was used to interrogate archival data during the 1950s and then again in the 1970s and 1980s. It was discovered that dominant discourses, at each point in time, served as organizing principles which informed the gendering processes within the organization. Although the dominant discourses changed between the two time periods, as did the manifestations of the gendering processes, it can be argued that the genderedness of the organization did not.

Joan Acker's gendering processes framework presented particular challenges in that it changed considerably in her writing. Initially, the framework had five process sets, but later only included four. The existence and/or placement of the fifth process set was questionable at the onset of this research. However, the research indicated quite clearly that this process set is of significant value and central to the entire framework.

At the conclusion of this research, a modified framework (including five process sets) is presented as a useful heuristic for studying how organizations become and remain gendered. It is anticipated that greater understanding of this phenomenon could facilitate change.