Managerial jobs have conventionally been understood as male and thus as not being directly suitable for women. The point of departure of this discourse is that women and men are different and that there is congruence between men and managerial jobs. On the basis of a qualitative study of women managers, I argue that there is a need for more sophisticated ways of appreciating the experiences of (many) women in relation to management. Variation, complexity and contradictions may be lost when holding on to essentialist understandings.

 

 

Bio for Yvonne Due Billing, Department of Sociology, University of Copenhagen (ydb@soc.ku.dk):

 

Yvonne Due Billing is the author of many books and articles within the area of gender, work, organization and leadership, including Understanding Gender and Organizations (Sage 1997, second edition 2009), Gender, Managers and Organizations (de Gruyter, 1994), Questioning the Notion of Feminine Leadership (Gender, Work & Organization, 2000), Beyond Body-counting (in Gender, Identity and the Culture of Organizations), all

with co-author Mats Alvesson. Are Women in Management Victims of the Phantom of the Male Norm? (Gender, Work & Organization, 2011), The Will to Power (Lund, 2006).

Yvonne Due Billing holds a PhD from CBS (Copenhagen Business School, Denmark) and a PhD in sociology from Lund University (Sweden). Yvonne Due Billing is associate editor for the journal Gender, Work & Organization, and editorial member for the journals Leadership and Organization.