Blog #14

Through this book, Britton seeks to explain how gender in reproduced in all aspects of being involved with a prison. She uses the theory of gendered organizations as the basis to answer her question and she states, “the theory argues that we should see organizations not as neutral organisms infected by the germs of workers’ gender (and sexuality, and race, and class) identities but as sites in which these attributes are present in preexisting assumptions and constructed through ongoing practices” (Britton, 2003, 3).
I think an example of an ongoing organization in which gendering is a process is within schools. From the time we are in kindergarten all the way through adulthood institutions such as schools teach how each gender is supposed to be performed. For example, in my gender com class, we did a unit on how children are taught to communicate gender. All the readings explained how during play time, boys were encouraged to go play outside and explore, or draw, or play with cars, or trucks and they were usually able to play louder, On the other hand, the little girls were usually encouraged to stay inside, play with dolls, or toys that they could play house with. The readings also said the little girls were often asked to be quieter more than the boys. This is still relevant at the college level. For example, if a girl has short hair, does not wear make-up, and wears baggy clothes, she is often thought to be less of a woman or have more masculine traits, which are frowned upon. The same would go for a guy, generally if a guy is sensitive or more feminine, he is thought to be a mama’s boy, a sissy, and he is thought of to be less of a man.
I think that she means it depends on the organization to determine how gender is structured. For example, in prisons women and men are stereotyped, and women make less money than their male counterparts. This is an example of gendering in the organization. This could be a result of the public and private sphere separation. These are gendered concepts because they are created for the man. In the private sphere, the wife and family existed, and the wife stayed at home to do the cooking, cleaning, and childcare. Then the man had his public sphere, where he had his job, his politics, and was able to interact with his friends. This is a gendered set of terms because in history women had their place in the private sphere and the two did not mix. This however changed with WWII when women went to work in factories while their husbands were over seas.