“It's also up to me”: Women's navigations of affective dissonance in gendered workplaces

This article investigates how experiences of affective dissonance are reined in by postfeminist and neoliberal logics in women's accounts of navigating gender inequality at work. I present three forms of affective-discursive practice —namely (a) reactive self-doubt, (b) navigating the double-bind, and (c) voicing critique—and contend that they form part of normative work-based femininities. By providing a nuanced understanding of the affective-discursive processes that make organizational gender inequality feel “ natural” and “normal” for women, the analyses presented here contribute to explaining the persistence of the gendered workplace. I argue that women's practicing of postfeminist affects is embedded within a gendered relational logic which ultimately deprives them of their voice and thus leaves male privilege unchallenged. While there is no “easy way out,” the act of questioning why women feel the way they do (about work) constitutes an important step towards making organizational gender inequality feel outrageous.