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Human Relations
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Subtextual gendering processes: A study of Japanese retail firms in Hong Kong

May M.L. Wong

Lingnan University in Hong Kong, wongml{at}ln.edu.hk

This study examined equal opportunities for women employees in two Japanese-owned retail companies (Tairo and Okadaya) in Hong Kong. This article initially discusses the various explanations for gender inequality put forward by scholars. Since equal opportunities legislation - specifically the Sex Discrimination Ordinance (SDO) - was introduced in Hong Kong in 1996, little research has been able to explain why gender inequality persists. The issue can alternatively be understood by examining the subtextual gendering processes. Concealed gendering processes (re)produce gender inequality based on hegemonic power, through structural, cultural, interaction and identity arrangements. Accounts of female staff at various hierarchies reveal that they are subject to these organizational and individual arrangements to various extents under the cover of SDO, which it was claimed, the companies implemented.

Key Words: equal opportunities • Hong Kong • Japanese • retail • subtextual gendering processes • women

Human Relations, Vol. 58, No. 2, 249-276 (2005)
DOI: 10.1177/0018726705052183
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