Men, masculinities and flexible work in local government

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to establish the strongly entrenched connection between hegemonic masculinity and participation in full‐time employment. It subsequently examines the extent to which male flexible workers in local government represent a challenge to this orthodoxy.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper reports on findings from interviews with 12 men and 13 women undertaking flexible work in a local government authority in Australia.

Findings

It was found that while two of the male flexible workers articulate alternative discourses of masculine subjectivity dissociated from participation in full‐time work, the remainder demonstrate the continued centrality of a full‐time presence in the workplace to hegemonic masculinity.

Originality/value

This paper argues that these findings are indicative of the continued dominance of masculinities in local government organisations.

Citation

Pini, B. and McDonald, P. (2008), "Men, masculinities and flexible work in local government", Gender in Management, Vol. 23 No. 8, pp. 598-612. https://doi.org/10.1108/17542410810912717