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Gender, change and resistance: Men's response to women's networks in the Australian sugar industry

Pini, Barbara M. and McDonald, Paula K. (2004) Gender, change and resistance: Men's response to women's networks in the Australian sugar industry. In Bailey, C. and Cabrera, D. and Buys, L., Eds. Proceedings Social Change in the 21st Century Conference; Centre for Social Change Research; Queensland University of Technology.

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Abstract

In the latter part of the twentieth century a number of farm and rural women’s networks were established throughout Australia. One of the reasons why such groups were established was to address the paucity of women in leadership positions in mainstream agri-political groups. This paper explores how men in male dominated agri-political groups have responded to this gender equity strategy. Using data from a doctoral study examining women's participation in the Australian sugar industry I examine the discourses within which men in the mainstream agri-political group, CANEGROWERS, have positioned women’s networks and the women involved in networks. These are discourses which construct women involved in networks as lacking in femininity and which re-inscribe normative definitions of femininity and masculinity in agriculture. These, it is argued, act in powerful ways to regulate and contain women’s involvement in agri-politics.

Item Type:Conference Paper
Status:Published
Subjects:370000 Studies in Human Society > 370100 Sociology > 370107 Social Change
370000 Studies in Human Society > 379900 Other Studies in Human Society > 379901 Gender Specific Studies
350000 Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services > 350200 Business and Management
ID Code:647
Deposited By:Callan, Paula
Deposited On:21 December 2004
Copyright Owner:Copyright 2004 Barbara M. Pini and Paula K. McDonald