Beyond Hierarchy
Gender, Sexuality and the Social Economy

This text takes issue with the assumption that where there is an absence of formal hierarchy in work and organizational life, there is likely to be an absence of gender inequalities. It argues that the matter is more complex than the simple equating of less hierarchy with greater gender equality.

Since the early 1980s there has been a surge of interest in both issues of gender and sexuality in work and organizational life, and in the founding and running of co-operatives and collectives. Since hierarchy rests on divisions which are in part gendered and sexualized, and co-operatives (for the most part) operate with "flat" or non-hierarchical structures, they could be seen as places where gender and sexuality make little difference to the experiences of workers. This text takes issue with the assumption that where there is an absence of formal hierarchy in work and organizational life, there is likely to be an absence of gender inequalities. It argues that the matter is more complex than the simple equating of less hierarchy with greater gender equality.

Frameworks for conceptualizing "flat" organizations
patterns of gendered employment
organizational sexuality - gendered material and ideological restraints
gendered entry into co-operatives and collectives
marginalization of co-operatives and collectives by gender and sexuality
gendered benefits and challenges.