The dismantling of diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) policies within US government agencies and large companies has generated little internal or public opposition given the scale of the reversal it represents. Why? Because it is riding the wave of gender fatigue that has developed in Western countries in recent years.
This expression refers to weariness, exasperation and even indignation about gender equality, particularly in the workplace, with the perception that too much is being done for women.
For example, more and more men are pointing out that it is difficult to be a man in today's society. This is leading to greater polarisation between the perceptions of women and men, as well as voting gaps, as Trump's victory in the United States has shown.
During my PhD at UQAM (Université du Québec à Montréal) and my research activities, I conducted hundreds of interviews with employees to find out their views on gender equality in the workplace. This allowed me to observe the rise of gender fatigue.
A barrier to the success of gender equality policies
It is important to understand the causes of this fatigue, as it can hinder the success of equality policies and even contribute to a backlash.
French philosopher Estelle Ferrarese sees this as disguised anti-feminism: "In reality, what we call fatigue is active resistance, a refusal to lose one's privilege. This resistance is more difficult to counter than traditional opposition, as it is often subtle and silent.
However, we should be careful not to believe that this fatigue is only present among sexist individuals and in masculinist movements. When employees are given a voice and guaranteed anonymity and confidentiality, they are more willing to speak out.
Here are the six main causes of this fatigue.
The impression of media hype
The weariness stems primarily from the saturation effect caused by the sudden surge in media interest in gender issues since the Me Too movement. There is a prevailing impression that we are swinging from one extreme to the other, both in society and in the workplace.
Some debates on the feminisation of professions and inclusive writing may seem incidental to some, while the repetitive nature of the discourse on equality fuels the feeling of a ‘gender war’ and can exhaust those who do not see concrete changes, as well as managers who feel powerless and unsure of how to proceed.
The myth of equality achieved
Gender fatigue is also fuelled by a lack of awareness of persistent discrimination, or even the illusion that gender equality has now been achieved, as discrimination in the workplace is more subtle than before, almost invisible.
Only 10% of men surveyed in Canada believe that ‘With equal skills, men are paid more than women’, compared to 40% of women. Similarly, only 15% of men say that ‘it is more difficult to become a senior manager when you are a woman’, compared to 49% of women.
The relativisation of discrimination
When discrimination is not denied, it can be downplayed with statements such as ‘Much progress has already been made’, ‘We should see the glass as half full rather than half empty’, ‘The situation of women is much worse in other countries around the world’, ‘There are other more pressing issues to deal with’, etc.
The justification of gender inequalities
Other employees simply accept the status quo, which they see as legitimate and natural due to gender stereotypes (such as women should primarily take care of their families, certain jobs are reserved for men, etc.) and women's lower level of investment in their work: Quebec women work 275 hours less per year than Quebec men.
From this perspective, companies should stop being influenced by ‘wokeness’ or neo-feminism; they should remain neutral, steering clear of any ideology other than profit maximisation.
A sense of injustice in the face of reverse discrimination
Men feel aggrieved when jobs or pay rises are reserved for women. Studies confirm pay and promotion gaps in favour of women in certain fields: due to the law of supply and demand and the need to increase the number of women in management, high-potential women may be better off than their male colleagues.
Fatigue is exacerbated by the hypocrisy of denying that positive discrimination exists. The head of France Télévisions (the French equivalent of Radio-Canada) said last February: ‘The day a woman in business tells you that being a woman has helped her career, pigs will fly.’ ‘
However, many female executives I have met recently have admitted to me that their gender may have been a catalyst at certain points in their careers.
Reverse discrimination also affects ’dirty work". My students often cite the case of Ukraine, where many women were able to flee the war while men were called to fight on the front lines. More commonly, when urgent tasks need to be done in the evening or on weekends, management tends to turn to a man rather than a woman, especially if she is a mother.
Admittedly, these differences in treatment to the detriment of men are nowhere near as significant as those to the detriment of women, but the lack of media coverage contrasts with the attention given to inequalities suffered by women, which fuels gender fatigue by giving the impression that equality is only valued in one direction.
An unspeakable dispute
This fatigue is further fuelled by the lack of freedom of speech felt by those who oppose equality policies. Men fear being labelled as macho, and women fear being labelled as queen bees who refuse to show female solidarity.
Tired of having to be politically correct for fear of being frowned upon instead of being able to express themselves openly about these policies, men may resort to small acts of disguised revenge.
For example, managers increased the bonuses given to the men on their teams when their employer required them to raise the fixed salaries of the lowest-paid women.
Fatigue that also affects women
The variety of causes explains why gender fatigue affects a wide audience, including women and men of good faith who are committed to gender equality.
According to German human resources researcher Elisabeth Kelan, gender fatigue takes the form of resignation among women who believe in the neutrality of their employers' practices: they underestimate the extent of remaining discrimination in their companies and the responsibility of the latter. Paradoxically, they are more aware of discrimination in society than in their jobs!
Tired of the focus on gender, they want to pursue their careers without their gender being seen as the reason for their success. Similarly, women are the first to tire of ‘feminism washing’, i.e. the exploitation of the feminist cause for marketing purposes, as exemplified by companies that promote women's issues while condoning sexist behaviour internally.
Rather than judging and denouncing this gender fatigue, it is undoubtedly more effective to listen to it and understand it in order to reflect on gender equality policies that are more socially accepted and therefore more effective.
This article by Denis Monneuse has been republished from The Conversation under licence Creative Commons. Lire l’article original.
