Anneke van Baalen, HIDDEN MASCULINITY, Max Weber's historical sociology of bureaucracy. 1994
Chapter 10 Hidden Masculinity: impersonal bureaucracy as a result of the unsolvable conflict between
fraternity and patriarchy
179
threatened - 'if she can do what he can do, he is not a real man'
15
. 'All what was solid,
dissolves into thin air'.
The consciousness of the sex-defined character of bureaucratic relations, however, is
repressed again as fast as is possible, often by ignoring or harassing the intruders - in the
hope that they will disappear, and with them the 'transparency' they caused; to prevent the
forming of sororities the tokens are pressured to turn against each other.
In Weberian terms: when 'non-men' enter positions in a bureaucratic hierarchy of command,
the impersonality resulting from the contradictory unity between fraternity and patriarchy is
broken; fraternal and patriarchal relations become visible at both sides of the dividing line
between public and private life. If a greater number of non-men is appointed in leadership
positions, this is mostly because the bureaucratic activities already have been transformed
into real work; the legitimation of the institution is supported by providing some degree of
material rationality, while the members of the bureaucratic fraternity have created honorable
and prestigious activities which they keep for themselves.
The intruders are left no choice but to perform work; women have to choose between the
available roles of family dependents as described by Kanter; beside providing the lionesses'
part of the 'material rationality' which legitimatize the institution, they have to perform the
'women's work' of care and attention to the patriarchs. Since few women have realistic
expectations of entering the clubs of the exploiters, most of them still content themselves
with the satisfactions of private life: with the belief in material rationality - useful work - and/or
a connection to a member of one of those clubs, a 'real man', whom they try to appropriate
by being appropriated by him and by living his public life vicariously.
This vicious circle can only be broken by women in groups which transcend the separation of
private and public sphere, breaking the monopolies on positions of command, honor and
prestige. Only by refusing patriarchal domination and proving 'real charisma' - be it
individually or by membership of charismatic sororities - can women who have acquired
entry in positions of command defend these positions and the honor and prestige they
should give a claim to.
If such groups are connected to each other into a public, open network which admits also
women who have yet to acquire positions of expertise, we call that network a 'feminist
movement'. Up till now, far to many women have preferred vicarious living to feminist
activities; universalist patriarchy still succeeds in turning the hostility of women to other non-
persons. However, every feminist movement has laid foundations for a next 'wave' in which
more women have enjoyed sisterhood and solidarity, honor and prestige. Therefore I think
that once it will be possible to claim the abolition of all social 'masculinity' and to imagine a
humanist society, in which administration gradually will lose its magic character and find its
legitimation in a corresponding material rationality.
15
Marijke Ekelschot, Opzij, Jrg. 17 (jan. 1989) p. 103 ff.
 |
 |
 |