Summary
Joan Acker defines gender as patterned, socially produced, differences between males and females, and also in the aspect of femininity and masculinity. She also debunks the idea that gender is inherently what people are but asserts that it is an accomplishment for the individual and the collective being. The author has also highlighted the meaning of gender processes which involves concrete activities such as what people say and do and how they think about such activities. In the concept of gender processes, she highlights the aspect of gender division. Organizational practices produce gender patterning regarding jobs, wages, power, hierarchy, etc. Therefore managers make decisions that either recreate or change these patterns. In gender and sexuality as organizational resources, the author claims that both males and females have unique physical needs on the job. She adds that reproduction and sexuality are normally objects of and resource for monitoring and control. The author illuminates on the gendered substructure of organization which states that the gendered substructure lies in the arrangement of the work, the rules governing workplace behavior and the relations linking workplace to living place.
Conceptual Critique
The author highlights five concepts as far as gender and organizations are concerned. First, gender manifests through divisions of work, power, labor market structures, state and physical location. Secondly, she states that gender is a function of symbols that reinforce the aspect of gender division. Also, gendering occurs through the interactions between men and women where submission and dominance are the hallmarks of gender divisions. Such processes, therefore, stamp gender identities in men and women. Finally, organizations through the concept of gendered substructure produced through their organizational activities hence they are not neutral.
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Personal Critique
The aspect of gender division is manifested in the day to day running of organizations. The author says that gender divisions are based on the type of job, wage, power, etc. Managers in their pursuit for workers depict their gendered mentality when they advertise certain jobs as meant for men while others as meant for the women. Also, the technological developments have helped in the reduction of incidences of gender division. It is also of the essence to note that gender and sexuality are used as organizational resources. In management, to enhance productivity both female and male bodies have to be controlled to attain maximum output. Reproduction and sexuality must also be properly managed in an organizational setting. Sexuality in a working environment should be controlled at the earliest onset as it may disrupt the orderly pursuit of organizational goals. When men and women start having a romantic relationship in a work setting, chances are that their productivity will be jeopardized due to a shift in priorities. Also, women are normally observed as objects due to their procreative abilities, and hence this is used as grounds for exclusion. On the other hand, the men's sexuality is seen as a source of power in many organizations. The aspect of gender has also played a big role in job evaluation as the evaluators no longer focus on key issues such as competencies but rather they base their arguments on the gender of the person in question.
Historical Context
Gendering Organizational theory draws its ideas from the historical and contentious issues of male chauvinism. The male figure has always been viewed as the superior among the two genders while the female has been seen as a subordinate of the man. The aspect of gender roles which draws from many cultures is also a function of the gendering organizational theory. Men have been traditionally associated with specific jobs that further depict their superiority while females have their particular jobs that further reveal their position in the society.
