Under Surveillance? The Impact of #MeToo on Sexual Correctness and Men at Work
Roč.18,č.2(2021)
Media Representations and Narratives of Masculinities Across Europe
In challenging everyday sexism, the #MeToo movement calls for a recalibration of sexual correctness which impacts not only the private sphere, but even more so the public spaces of social life such as the workplace. This article examines men’s experiences of the #MeToo movement, aiming to explore what impact the phenomenon has had on workplace gender relations. Our study adopts a qualitative research design to capture the experiences of ten men across a mix of gendered workplaces in Scotland. Drawing upon a Foucauldian feminist framework, we argue that the #MeToo movement calls for new forms of (self)governmentality within men. Our data suggest that men not only police each other in the workplace but have drawn upon technologies of self to carve out workplace spaces where they can continue questionable behaviours. These technologies relate to the management of language and the vetting of colleagues. We also detail how men hold contradictory opinions of the #MeToo movement with many showing solidarity with its aims. As such, the men were divided by their willingness to adhere to new workplace politics. We conclude by commenting on the impact of this media-driven movement that aims to challenge problematic masculinities.
#MeToo; masculinities; workplace masculinity; Foucault; crisis of masculinity
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