Gender trouble in the workplace: applying Judith Butler's theory of performativity to news organizations. Issue 2 (4th March 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Jenkins, Joy; Finneman, Teri
• Is Part Of: Feminist media studies. Volume 18:Issue 2(2018)
• Page Start: 157
• Page End: 172
• Publication Date: 2018-03-04
• Subjects: Judith Butler -- feminist theory -- gender -- media organizations -- performativity; Feminism -- Periodicals; Women in mass media -- Periodicals; Mass media and women -- Periodicals; Feminist criticism -- Periodicals; Mass media and sex -- Periodicals; 302.23082
• DOI: 10.1080/14680777.2017.1308412
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1468-0777

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Judith Butler's theory of performativity, introduced in her 1990 book Gender Trouble, has significantly shaped individual and collective understandings of gender. This essay examines performativity as a framework for critically assessing gender performances in patriarchal workplace environments, including the institutional rules and norms that shape behaviors and interactions. Specifically, we suggest that performativity offers a valuable lens for critiquing women's experiences in newsrooms, spaces where expectations for gender can significantly shape professional experiences and success. We provide an overview and evaluation of the development and existing applications of Butler's performativity theory, including its use in organizational contexts. We also propose methodological and topical approaches through which performativity can be used to study newsrooms and the experiences of female journalists in particular.