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New fathers, ideal workers? New players in the field of father‐friendly work organizations

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  • Claudia Balan
  • Marieke van den Brink
  • Yvonne Benschop

Abstract

This article explores novel forms of proactive support for fathers in organizations and analyzes how newly instituted organizational promoters of father‐friendliness in Germany (organizational consultants, fathers' representatives, and fathers' networks) legitimize and strengthen organizational acceptance of fathers' use of family‐friendly workplace arrangements. Bringing together the notions of organizational masculinity, the ideal worker norm, and postfeminism, the paper focuses on caring formations of postfeminist masculinity at work and how they contribute to gender change in organizations. The analysis shows that organizational promoters construct father‐friendliness in three ways (I) by constructing a new, “caring” organizational masculinity, (II) by creating organizational value for care‐related practices, (III) by framing father‐friendliness as a prerequisite for gender equality. Our theoretical argument is that configurations of positive masculinities are possible within a postfeminist culture, and they produce incremental yet limited gender change through a reshaped organizational masculinity and a reframed “ideal worker” within organizations. The study of a rather unique group of change agents in organizations shows how additional offerings for fathers might contribute to changing gendered assumptions about care in organizations.

Suggested Citation

  • Claudia Balan & Marieke van den Brink & Yvonne Benschop, 2023. "New fathers, ideal workers? New players in the field of father‐friendly work organizations," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(3), pages 957-981, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:gender:v:30:y:2023:i:3:p:957-981
    DOI: 10.1111/gwao.12930
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Elisabeth Kelan, 2009. "Gender as an Ideological Dilemma," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Performing Gender at Work, chapter 6, pages 145-181, Palgrave Macmillan.
    2. Marieke Brink & Yvonne Benschop, 2014. "Gender in Academic Networking: The Role of Gatekeepers in Professorial Recruitment," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(3), pages 460-492, May.
    3. Elisabeth K. Kelan, 2008. "The Discursive Construction of Gender in Contemporary Management Literature," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 81(2), pages 427-445, August.
    4. Andreas Giazitzoglu & Daniel Muzio, 2021. "Learning the rules of the game: How is corporate masculinity learned and enacted by male professionals from nonprivileged backgrounds?," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(1), pages 67-84, January.
    5. Yvonne Benschop & Patricia Lewis & Ruth Simpson & Patricia Lewis & Yvonne Benschop & Ruth Simpson, 2017. "Postfeminism, Gender and Organization," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(3), pages 213-225, May.
    6. Klenner, Christina & Lott, Yvonne, 2016. "Arbeitszeitoptionen im Lebensverlauf: Bedingungen und Barrieren ihrer Nutzung im Betrieb," WSI Studies 04, The Institute of Economic and Social Research (WSI), Hans Böckler Foundation.
    7. Joanne Martin, 1990. "Deconstructing Organizational Taboos: The Suppression of Gender Conflict in Organizations," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 1(4), pages 339-359, November.
    8. Yvonne Benschop & Patricia Lewis & Ruth Simpson & Nick Rumens, 2017. "Postfeminism, Men, Masculinities and Work: A Research Agenda for Gender and Organization Studies Scholars," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(3), pages 245-259, May.
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