Researching Public Sector Change: The Argument for a Gender Inclusive Framework

This article highlights the importance of taking a gendered perspective for the understanding of new public management and the restructuring of public services. Significant changes have taken place in the management structure and processes of public sectororganizations throughout the decade, with workforces being redefined and reconstituted. Relatively little research work has examined the gendered implications of such change and the way in which processes of redefinition are negotiated, accepted or resisted by male and female professionals. A conceptual framework for future research is presented which is informed by three separate research literatures: the feminization thesis, developments in HRM and marketization and managerialism. The article concludes by emphasizing the importance of a more inclusive and gendered view of restructuring agendas. A theoretical framework is proposed that accommodates difference and agency in the restructuring process as a way forward in analysing public sector change