Competing against oneself and others? Competition as gendered technologies of the self

Carr, M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6772-958X and Kelan, E. K. (2024) Competing against oneself and others? Competition as gendered technologies of the self. Gender, Work & Organization. ISSN 1468-0432 doi: 10.1111/gwao.13154

Abstract/Summary

This paper contributes to debates on gender and competition by drawing on a Foucauldian understanding of neoliberalism to explore how competition operates as gendered technologies of self. Our findings are based on interviews and observations with women who work in a bank and a network marketing company. We unfold different modalities of competition that are in operation: competition has either an outward focus where women compete with other women or an inward focus where women compete with oneself. The study expands the theoretical understanding of gender and competition by exploring how different modalities of competition operate as gendered technologies of the self under neoliberalism. We conclude that while different modalities exist, they fulfil the same purpose in that they individualise women while making structural inequalities invisible.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/116419
Identification Number/DOI	10.1111/gwao.13154
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Henley Business School > International Business and Strategy
Publisher	Wiley
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