Cisnormative symbolic colonization and transgender and gender nonconforming individuals in the workplace

Karoline Anita Anderson

Gender, Work and Organization, 2024, vol. 31, issue 1, 1-15

Abstract: Cisnormativity assumes individual traits and social roles that correspond to one's gender assigned at birth. Cisnormativity in workplace culture sustains the discrimination of transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) individuals. Research in the workplace has yet to evaluate strategies that TGNC employees use to attain personal or social goals. In the present study, the term cisnormative symbolic colonization (CSC) incorporates Habermas' theory of communicative action with symbolic interactionism to demonstrate the permeation of cisnormative dominance in workplace culture through symbolic social practices. Interviews with 15 transgender women and gender nonconforming individuals illustrated four strategies used to mitigate CSC in the workplace: bargaining, validating, symbolic‐aligning, and value‐endorsing. The findings demonstrated the dominant impact of CSC in workplace culture and revealed the employment of trans‐symbolism to integrate trans‐inclusive values in the workplace.

Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://doi.org/10.1111/gwao.13048

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:bla:gender:v:31:y:2024:i:1:p:1-15

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.blackwell ... bs.asp?ref=0968-6673

Access Statistics for this article

Gender, Work and Organization is currently edited by David Knights, Deborah Kerfoot and Ida Sabelis

More articles in Gender, Work and Organization from Wiley Blackwell
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Wiley Content Delivery ().