Gender and Organization Studies:

Literature Reviewed by Feminist Organization Theories

Abstract

This paper discusses the significance of gender studies in organization and consider important directions of future studies through reviewing the previous works. The paper aims at framing these literatures of gender in organizational studies in terms of feminist organization theories. First, the paper broader considered research on gender and leadership, career, employment, and work-life issues from a "liberal feminist" perspective. These studies are basically framed as "gender in organization" as suggested by Calás et al. (2014). The paper next illustrates a variety of studies from poststructuralist and social constructionist feminist approaches that emphasize the formation of gender in the process of organizing, in terms of the micro, meso, and macro levels. Calás et al. (2014) understood these studies as the frame of "gendering organization". Finally, this paper concludes that both directions of “gender in organization” and "gendering organization" are complementary relationships and both approaches are important for future of organizational studies. Especially in Japanese context, organization studies should pay more attention to gender and create active discussions. The paper advocates that gender issues are not a research subject specific to women, but an issue that all researchers should take into consideration.