Change Meets Resistance: Re(shaping) Gender Dynamics in an Era of Backlash

Éditeurs invités

• Elena Cedrola, Macerata University
• Cinzia Colapinto, Venice School of Management
• Lauren Gurrieri, RMIT University
• Stefania Masè, IPAG Business School
• Alisa Minina Jeunemaître, Emlyon Business School
• Shumaila Yousafzai, Nazarbayev University

Synthèse

While some countries have advanced gender equality, many now experience significant backlash undermining this progress. Recent developments include government policy shifts limiting gender recognition, major corporations scaling back diversity initiatives, and the rise of online movements promoting traditional gender roles alongside broader polarization around diversity and inclusion policies.

This special issue examines how gender issues are negotiated and contested across organizations, markets, and society. It brings together fragmented research on intersections of gender with leadership, labor, media, and consumer experiences, exploring how corporate engagement with gender equity generates support and backlash while raising questions about authenticity and performativity.

Thèmes proposés

• Critical reflections on gender equity and its contemporary resistance in organizational settings and media ecosystems
• How leaders and organizations engage with gender issues (and associated backlash) through activism, partnerships, internal policies, and public critique
• Intersectional perspectives on gender, race, class, and sexuality and the dynamics of progress and regression
• How gender biases are (re)addressed and (re)produced in the realms of innovation, tech, and entrepreneurship
• Analyzing gender inequality and its stagnation in workforce participation, compensation, and promotion opportunities
• Gender fluidity and non-binary representations in the corporate world and organizational practices, and the implications of their political reception
• Examining ethical and sustainable practices through a gender lens to address inclusivity in environmental and social initiatives
• Exploring non-western perspectives and representations of diversity, equity and inclusion and backlash
• How gender identities (feminine, masculine, non-binary, and trans) are constructed, challenged, or reinforced across media, advertising, and popular culture
• How stereotypical gender roles are being reimagined, revived, or resisted in contemporary branding, media, and organizational discourse
• What social, cultural, or emotional forces shape the renewed appeal of stereotypical femininities and masculinities in contemporary consumer and organizational life
• What narratives, rituals, or aesthetic strategies are used to communicate shifting gender dynamics, and how are they received across different cultural and generational contexts