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The Gender Agenda

In: Women’s Work, Men’s Cultures

Author

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  • Sarah Rutherford

    (Rutherford Associates)

Abstract

When I began studying gender and organizations in 1991, equal opportunities was the dominant discourse when addressing inequalities in the workplace. Now in the United States and the United Kingdom private-sector companies predominantly refer to equality issues through the discourse of diversity, or diversity and inclusion. In the United Kingdom, the public sector has held on to the notion of equality, and this is still the dominant concept used in Europe. Although there are some differences in meaning, these are not universally understood, and the word ‘diversity’ (unlike equal opportunities) has literally hundreds of definitions. It is important to pay attention to the language, as the naming of something is itself a political activity. It is no accident that certain words gain the status of knowledge over others for language and power interact.1 Sinclair notes that words like diversity resist one set of meanings and take on others that better suit elite interests: ‘The point about terminology and language reveals a deeper point about power and who appropriates language.’2 There is no doubt that business has embraced diversity in a way that it did not equal opportunities.

Suggested Citation

  • Sarah Rutherford, 2011. "The Gender Agenda," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Women’s Work, Men’s Cultures, chapter 3, pages 34-66, Palgrave Macmillan.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:palchp:978-0-230-30747-6_4
    DOI: 10.1057/9780230307476_4
    as

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