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Navigating the Labour Market: Women Job Seekers’ Mobilisation of a Postfeminist Sensibility

Author

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  • Ruth Abrams

    (University of Surrey, UK)

  • Deborah Brewis

    (University of Bath, UK)

  • Miguel Imas

    (Kingston University, UK)

Abstract

Job seeking is a crucial yet overlooked process through which people navigate the world of work. Yet there remains limited qualitative research examining the complex and nuanced experiences of job seekers in a contemporary labour market. This article explores 38 interviews with job-seeking women in England, all of whom were interviewed over a six-month period. Using a postfeminist sensibility, findings revealed an oscillation between empowerment and success on the one hand, and disempowerment and perceived failure on the other, including wanting to: find the ‘right’ job, but accept any job; convey an authentic self but imitate what they think employers want; negotiate salaries, but accept pay cuts; emulate ‘successful’ behaviours, but experience doubt, uncertainty and negativity. This article contributes to the sociological practice of employment, identifying that through this oscillation, women experience a form of postfeminist precarity that starts from the outset of job seeking.

Suggested Citation

  • Ruth Abrams & Deborah Brewis & Miguel Imas, 2025. "Navigating the Labour Market: Women Job Seekers’ Mobilisation of a Postfeminist Sensibility," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 39(1), pages 3-23, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:woemps:v:39:y:2025:i:1:p:3-23
    DOI: 10.1177/09500170241262872
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