Sexing London: the gender mix of urban policy actors

This article proposes an analysis of London's gender system. First, it explores the relationship between gender and the local economy and culture. Second, it examines decision-making structures in the local state and how they are gendered. Third, the article investigates London's autonomous women's movement and the extent to which its constituent groups possess the resources necessary to influence policy. Fourth, it looks at two issue areas, homelessness and hospital reorganization and the ways in which policy-making in these areas deal with gender issues. The authors conclude that women and particularly feminists can influence policy but the degree of influence varies by locality, organizational context and issue

Evaluating local government equalities work: The case of sexualities initiatives in the UK

Measurement, as one aspect of managerialist practice, has become important in the local government arena in the UK. Legislative changes support the development of sexualities equalities initiatives in local authorities, but there is an absence of systems for evaluating these. Current indices of success can be applied to sexualities work in local government, but these are limited, given the impact of factors such as homophobia, party politics and local government restructuring. Complementary indicators concern policy making, anti-discrimination, and community leadership. Whilst provoking, perhaps, a politicisation of managerialism, such developments may be most usefully framed in administrative terms

Cruel measures: gendered excellence in research

The transformation of higher education into a (quasi)market, packaged with increased measurement and shifting values, has a significant impact upon the careers of academic women. Increased gender representation obscures the fact that women’s participation continues to be measured and evaluated in relation to male norms, participation, and achievements. This chapter investigates the reworking of gender in the measured university. It analyses gendered excellence, academic promotion, and measures of academic success through Lauren Berlant’s notion of ‘cruel optimism’ in order to consider what is (and is not) valued in the contemporary university, and how career pathways are institutionally shaped

Diversity in the Academy? Staff Perceptions of Equality Policies in Six Contemporary Higher Education Institutions

The article is based on recent research involving qualitative case studies of staff experiences of equality policies in six English, Scottish and Welsh higher education institutions (HEIs). Recent changes to UK legislation (e.g. on `race¿ and disability) and a series of European Union employment directives (including on religion and sexual orientation) have caused more attention to be paid to equality policies and their implementation in higher education. The wider context for equality policies has also changed, from a predominant focus on individuals and redistributive equality policies to viewing inequality as a generic and relative concept which can be policy-mainstreamed, with greater concentration on organisational cultures and diversity and a focus on recognitional rather than redistributive approaches to inequality. The article uses the authors¿ recent research findings to consider how higher education institution employees who participated in the study understood notions of equality and diversity. There is a particular focus on whether different forms of inequality are seen to be interconnected, whether diversity is seen as desirable by most employees interviewed, the potential tensions and conflicts between equality policies applying to students and those concerned with staff and the visions of equitable HEIs of the future held by senior managers. It is suggested that whilst all HEIs studied had equality policies and senior managers who have benefited from equality training, nevertheless the shift away from redistributional notions of inequality (except in respect of occupational inequality) towards greater emphasis on recognitional forms, the tensions between student and staff equality issues, and the pursuit of organisational diversity may reflect a relative depoliticisation of the staff equality agenda in higher education