Business feminism: symbolic or transformative change?

Abstract

Whilst acknowledging that feminism is broad and multi-dimensional, controversy surrounds the relationship between capitalism and feminism, and feminist scholarship is generally uneasy with forms of feminism which accommodate capitalism. Yet business feminism – defined here as the representation of women’s interests by women in corporations - is without doubt the most influential form of feminism in European states, although with some differences between countries and regimes. Typically, as distinct from forms of liberal feminism which follow a rules-based approach, it is located on the self-regulation end of the regulatory spectrum, advocating networks, and voluntary targets and codes of practice. In feminist activism, tensions - reflected in academic discussions on state versus market feminism – exist about the possibility of working towards transformative change in difficult political conditions, where reversal of previous gains, backlash or threats to survival are increasingly likely, depending on national circumstances. In this panel we examine the possibilities for transformative change within the dominant framework of business feminism. By comparing a series of national and sectoral case studies we aim to build conceptual understanding of the policy space in which business feminism operates, what business feminists see as legitimate (or illegitimate) subjects and objects of action, their relations with other organizations fighting for equality (trade unions, NGOs) and their transformative effects on equality public policies: How does business feminism vary across national contexts (including EU level) in its gender knowledge? What/who is included and what/who is excluded? How does business feminism understand intersectionality, and (under what conditions) can it facilitate intersectional claims to justice? To what extent (and under what conditions) is the demand for gender-equal leadership (which research shows to be inadequate by itself to empower women collectively) linked to other dimensions of empowerment?

Title	Details
French business networks: a counter-power or the power of the insiders?	View Paper Details
A growing influence of business feminism within the European Women's Lobby?	View Paper Details
Women’s business organisations as policy actors: the case of the UK	View Paper Details
Business Feminism and Women's Recruitment in Central East European Executive Search	View Paper Details