Organizational Logic in Coworking Spaces: Inequality Regimes in the New Economy

Publication by Amanda C. Sargent, Jill Yavorsky & Rosalyn G. Sandoval , , , ,
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Abstract in English:

Globalization, technological advances, and changing employment structures have facilitated greater flexibility in how and where many Americans do their paid work. In response, a new work arrangement, coworking, has emerged in the United States. Coworking organizations bring together professionals from different companies to share a common workspace and build community. Despite the prevalence and potential benefits of coworking, little systematic research about coworking contexts exists, let alone research focused on gender inequality therein. Using 78 interviews and more than 700 hours of observation across nine coworking spaces, we examine the organizational logics that shape gender dynamics, as well as intersecting racial and class dynamics, in coworking spaces. Building on Acker’s inequality regimes framework, we uncover organizational logic that either reduces or reproduces inequality for diverse groups of women in coworking contexts. We conclude by discussing important theoretical and empirical implications of these findings.

Open Access? No

Journal Gender & Society
Publication Year 2020

Publisher Sage Journals

DOI https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243220974691

English | Discipline Social Science