Fashioning Gender: The Gendered Organization of Cultural Work

Abstract

Gender inequality is common in cultural industries, including in the fashion industry, where women far outnumber men. How does the social organization of cultural work shape this inequality? This question is examined using 62 in-depth interviews with women and men creative workers in the fashion industry. I examine how gendered organizational logics are embedded in entrepreneurial labor practices and passionate work norms, both of which are common in cultural work. I find that women experience: (1) discrimination within the industry, (2) criticism from outside the industry, (3) intensified time pressure and work-family conflict, and (4) constrained choice about whether to have children. Although the demanding and insecure nature of cultural work creates time pressure and stress for men as well, men experience less anxiety, conflict, and negative judgment. These findings contribute to knowledge about gender inequality in cultural industries, as well as to the theory of gendered organizations. The gendered organizations approach traditionally entails case studies focused on the inner workings of specific organizations. I show how gendered logics can operate outside organizational boundaries, in the practices and norms of cultural work more generally.