Making choices but few changes: the discourse of choice and mothers working in research and innovation

IF 2 3区教育学 Q2 EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH

Gender and Education Pub Date : 2023-09-05 DOI:10.1080/09540253.2023.2250819

Hanna-Mari Ikonen, Päivi Korvajärvi

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Based on the identi ﬁ cation of the discourse of choice in debates on neoliberalism, meritocracy and post-feminism, this article analyses how highly educated mothers position themselves within the discourse of choice and use choice as their discursive resource when re ﬂ ecting on how their demanding careers combine with motherhood. The data come from 26 interviews with mothers employed in research and innovation in Finland. The analysis reveals ﬁ ve ways in which the mothers positioned themselves within the discourse of choice. It appears these ways are all based on, and produce, the moral primacy of individual self-governance. We treat this as a demonstration of how neoliberalism is internalized and lived. Furthermore, the results show that an egalitarian welfare society whose policies support work – childcare reconciliation does not remove the need to use the individualistic discourse of choice. We suggest that this could be changed by voicing the challenges it poses to many women.

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做出选择但很少改变：选择与从事研究和创新的母亲的话语

基于对新自由主义、精英主义和后女权主义辩论中选择话语的认同，本文分析了受过高等教育的母亲如何在选择话语中定位自己，并在反思自己的高要求职业与母性如何结合时将选择作为话语资源。这些数据来自对芬兰从事研究和创新工作的26位母亲的采访。分析揭示了五种方式，其中母亲定位自己在话语的选择。这些方式似乎都是基于并产生个人自治的道德至上。我们认为这是新自由主义如何内化和生活的一个例证。此外，研究结果表明，一个平等主义的福利社会，其政策支持工作与儿童保育的协调，并没有消除使用个人主义话语选择的需要。我们建议可以通过说出它给许多女性带来的挑战来改变这种情况。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Gender and Education EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH-

CiteScore

5.20

自引率

9.10%

发文量

期刊介绍： Gender and Education grew out of feminist politics and a social justice agenda and is committed to developing multi-disciplinary and critical discussions of gender and education. The journal is particularly interested in the place of gender in relation to other key differences and seeks to further feminist knowledge, philosophies, theory, action and debate. The Editors are actively committed to making the journal an interactive platform that includes global perspectives on education, gender and culture. Submissions to the journal should examine and theorize the interrelated experiences of gendered subjects including women, girls, men, boys, and gender-diverse individuals. Papers should consider how gender shapes and is shaped by other social, cultural, discursive, affective and material dimensions of difference. Gender and Education expects articles to engage in feminist debate, to draw upon a range of theoretical frameworks and to go beyond simple descriptions. Education is interpreted in a broad sense to cover both formal and informal aspects, including pre-school, primary, and secondary education; families and youth cultures inside and outside schools; adult, community, further and higher education; vocational education and training; media education; and parental education.