Postfeminist Career Retreatism Among Women Leaders in the Public Sector

We examine how postfeminism with its emphasis on individualism, empowerment and the assumption that equality is achieved, is implicated in how women leaders respond to a gendered work culture. Drawing on interviews with women leaders in the Northern Ireland (NI) public sector, and through thematic analysis, we demonstrate how they enact and resent postfeminist norms, rejecting postfeminist career promises. We develop the notion of postfeminist career retreatism to encapsulate how despite experiences of a gendered culture, they locate the decision to retreat from their career within themselves. Consequently, external barriers to equality are translated into individual shortcomings, leaving the discriminatory status quo intact.