Exploring the masculinization of innovation practice within a municipality
(2021) In International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship 13(3). p.243-258- Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to generate an empirically informed theoretical framework which can be used to analyze the relationship between gender and innovation in the context of a municipality. The authors present and analyze three illustrative tales from a feminist perspective. The authors thus offer a more balanced approach to the conceptualization of gendered ascriptions with respect to the possible outcomes of innovation work in a public context. Design/methodology/approach: An ethnographic account which employed “shadowing” as a method of observation. Findings: The article presents a debate on how the social construction of gender and innovation can be placed in the context of a municipal reality. Our analysis reveals... (More)
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to generate an empirically informed theoretical framework which can be used to analyze the relationship between gender and innovation in the context of a municipality. The authors present and analyze three illustrative tales from a feminist perspective. The authors thus offer a more balanced approach to the conceptualization of gendered ascriptions with respect to the possible outcomes of innovation work in a public context. Design/methodology/approach: An ethnographic account which employed “shadowing” as a method of observation. Findings: The article presents a debate on how the social construction of gender and innovation can be placed in the context of a municipal reality. Our analysis reveals how the complexities of a gendered work life within a municipality can create paradoxes. A constructionism approach was used in the identification of hidden and unspoken paradoxes that exist in public spheres. Research limitations/implications: The authors used empirical tales from a very specific context, namely a Swedish municipality. The central implication of this study is the recognition of innovation as being masculine-gendered within the feminine context. This implication thereby deepens our understanding of gender paradoxes in the public sector. Practical implications: This study provides insights to practitioners who intend to work with innovation in a public organization. Social implications: The social implications of this study is that when a male-gendered concept like innovation is implemented in a female-gendered context, like a municipality, it is of importance to contextualize the concept. Originality/value: The empirical value of examples of a gendered work landscape at a Swedish municipality.
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- author
- Wigren-Kristoferson, Caroline LU and Aggestam, Maria LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2021
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Constructionism, Gender, Innovation, Municipality, Paradoxes, Reverse tokenism
- in
- International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship
- volume
- 13
- issue
- 3
- pages
- 16 pages
- publisher
- Emerald Group Publishing Limited
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85114889866
- ISSN
- 1756-6266
- DOI
- 10.1108/IJGE-11-2020-0189
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- Publisher Copyright: © 2021, Caroline Wigren-Kristoferson and Maria Aggestam.
- id
- ae683321-0a4f-4ec9-918a-2271e4a45410
- date added to LUP
- 2021-10-12 14:01:46
- date last changed
- 2022-04-27 04:37:45
@article{ae683321-0a4f-4ec9-918a-2271e4a45410,
abstract = {{<p>Purpose: The purpose of this study is to generate an empirically informed theoretical framework which can be used to analyze the relationship between gender and innovation in the context of a municipality. The authors present and analyze three illustrative tales from a feminist perspective. The authors thus offer a more balanced approach to the conceptualization of gendered ascriptions with respect to the possible outcomes of innovation work in a public context. Design/methodology/approach: An ethnographic account which employed “shadowing” as a method of observation. Findings: The article presents a debate on how the social construction of gender and innovation can be placed in the context of a municipal reality. Our analysis reveals how the complexities of a gendered work life within a municipality can create paradoxes. A constructionism approach was used in the identification of hidden and unspoken paradoxes that exist in public spheres. Research limitations/implications: The authors used empirical tales from a very specific context, namely a Swedish municipality. The central implication of this study is the recognition of innovation as being masculine-gendered within the feminine context. This implication thereby deepens our understanding of gender paradoxes in the public sector. Practical implications: This study provides insights to practitioners who intend to work with innovation in a public organization. Social implications: The social implications of this study is that when a male-gendered concept like innovation is implemented in a female-gendered context, like a municipality, it is of importance to contextualize the concept. Originality/value: The empirical value of examples of a gendered work landscape at a Swedish municipality.</p>}},
author = {{Wigren-Kristoferson, Caroline and Aggestam, Maria}},
issn = {{1756-6266}},
keywords = {{Constructionism; Gender; Innovation; Municipality; Paradoxes; Reverse tokenism}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{3}},
pages = {{243--258}},
publisher = {{Emerald Group Publishing Limited}},
series = {{International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship}},
title = {{Exploring the masculinization of innovation practice within a municipality}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJGE-11-2020-0189}},
doi = {{10.1108/IJGE-11-2020-0189}},
volume = {{13}},
year = {{2021}},
}