“It is Just a Joke!” Informal Interaction and Gendered Processes Underground

Abstract

ABSTRACT The (re)production and persistence of inequalities in male-dominated organizations is an ongoing issue. This paper aims to further examine how banter in male-dominated industrial organizations can be understood as meaningful in relation to the gendered processes of organizations. The male-dominated mining industry in Sweden—more specifically the shop floor of this setting—serves as the empirical context and twenty interviews with both men and women miners were conducted. The findings suggest that the informal interactions underground function as an informal power system carrying important meaning in relation to gendered processes of the organization. Banter has a dual function as both an including and excluding practice and with its inherent ambiguity, it has the potential to both maintain and challenge existing gendered relations underground.