Beyond burned bras and purple dungarees: Feminist orientations within working women’s networks

Abstract

Is there a feminist ideological undertone when women choose to organise separately, or are their motivations purely instrumental? While this question has been addressed by numerous researchers, most studies are mono-national; most extrapolate meaning from different types of networks/groups, and most do not carry out close examination of network members’ orientations. This article explores varieties of orientations to feminism among members of four networks for business and professional women in the UK and Germany. The findings suggest that even within a single network, members’ feminist orientations can vary, and can be different from the publicly/officially declared organisational position.