Lesbians as Authentic Workers? Institutional Heterosexuality and the Reproduction of Gender Inequalities

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Abstract
This article argues that there is an important blind spot in accounts of gender inequality which is the result of a heterosexual bias in research on work and family life. The absence of comparative reference points from non-heterosexual experience obscures the significance of heterosexuality itself for reproducing the status quo. The article provides a theoretical framework for conceptualizing the relevance of lesbian experience for illuminating processes which reproduce the gender order and those which facilitate change. It draws on two research projects to illustrate how the gender dynamics of lesbian relationships, with and without children, may support a different, less distorted relationship to paid employment.

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