ERIC Number: EJ865998
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Dec
Pages: 23
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1367-6261
EISSN: N/A
From Exclusion to Inclusion: Young Queer Workers' Negotiations of Sexually Exclusive and Inclusive Spaces in Australian Workplaces
Willis, Paul
Journal of Youth Studies, v12 n6 p629-651 Dec 2009
Equal participation in paid employment is regarded as a basic entitlement within human rights discourse. Recent organizational studies highlight how the workplace can operate as a socially divided space for queer (or non-heterosexual) workers, depicting the workplace as a problematic site of sexuality-based discrimination and abuse. The aim of this paper is to locate the experiences of young queer workers as newcomers to the Australian labour market and to shed light on how young queer people negotiate sexually exclusive and inclusive workspaces. The findings from this qualitative study were developed from a series of interviews with 34 young people (18-26 years old) who primarily identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual or queer (LGBQ) and were employed in a diverse range of industries. Based on their stories, this paper will argue that workplaces can function as both sexually exclusive and inclusive spaces. Within exclusive spaces, young people experienced a series of symbolically and materially violent practices that reinforced the boundaries of sexual normalcy in the workplace. Within inclusive spaces, young people gave weight to everyday "micro-practices" of inclusion over wider workplace policy and procedures. Findings from this research hold significant implications for informing organizational change. (Contains 1 table and 3 notes.)
Descriptors: Labor Market, Young Adults, Organizational Change, Homosexuality, Foreign Countries, Work Environment, Equal Opportunities (Jobs), Social Discrimination, Qualitative Research, Interviews, Violence
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A