“A woman's worst enemy”;: Reflections on a narrative of organizational life and female identity

Abstract

Although feminist thought increasingly infuses the study of organizational communication, much of the feminist literature to date has failed to engage the practices of women in actual organizations. This case study moves to address that neglect, using data gathered in an organization founded by and largely comprised of women. Specifically, the essay emphasizes the contribution of women as active agents who construct their work community, and it illuminates the ways in which women may participate in the devaluation of women. The first section articulates the feminist perspective that informs our analysis. After describing the organization in question, we explore the existence of a narrative of collective self‐awareness as a distinctly “female”; community. Although this narrative includes positive themes, members tell the tale of a divisiveness—a “cattiness"—that they perceive as a uniquely “female”; practice. We discuss the theoretical and pragmatic implications of this narrative of identity. As an example of how women, and perhaps other traditionally marginalized groups, may actively participate in their own subordination, this narrative invites much‐needed attention to an understudied dimension of organizational oppression.