Gender Contamination

Light Work by Dear Patriarchy

If this episode is resonating with you, send us a message - we’d love to hear from you 🤍

Welcome to Episode 11 of Series 2, we start with a brief discussion of important statistics for Black women, women of Colour and women from LGBTQIA+ communities. Due to a technical error, they were not included in last week’s episode, Shecession. Next, we define what gender contamination is, what it means as a marketing term and how it draws from a hetero-patriarchal socio-political system. We dive into specific brand examples of gender contamination (prepare to be angered!) and why its deep foundation in the patriarchy makes it such a powerful tool.
We talk about how this results in the harsh treatment of teenage girls vs. teenage boys and how we as a society view women’s “things” in general. We discuss how this phenomenon translates to the workplace and how many women who do manage to succeed in the corporate environment have had to take on “male” performance characteristics. We close out the episode discussing how gender contamination harms men as well as women and lay out some integral touchpoints for being an ally/accomplice/advocate in the wider world as well as the workplace and how to maximize that advocacy in your professional leadership.
- Jill Avery's November 2012 report for the International Journal of Marketing entitled "Defending the Markers of Masculinity: Consumer Resistance to Brand Gender-Bending" is pivotal to the discussion of gender contamination and provided the foundational information for this episode
- Carmen Nobel's November 2013 article for Forbes entitled "Gender Contamination: Why Men Prefer Products Untouched By Women" provided specific brand information on the subject of gender contamination
- Libby Copeland's August 2013 for Slate entitled "Is Diet Soda Girly?" provided specific brand information on the subject of gender contamination
- Dorothy Neufeld's March 2020 article entitled "Female Breadwinners Have Doubled, But Barriers Remain" was used for the statistics on women holding the title of breadwinner in the U.S. pre-pandemic
- Becky O'Connor's March 2020 article for Royal London entitled "Rise of the female breadwinner: Woman earns the most in one-in-four households" was used for the statistics on women holding the titled of breadwinner in the UK pre-pandemic
- Emily Contois' November 2020 article on Nursing Clio entitled "Diners, Dudes and Diets" is a fascinating breakdown of the role of masculinity in both the brands we buy but the food we eat and is an incredible take on gender contamination
- Emily Moss' September 2019 blog for Community Business entitled "Masculinity in the Workplace" breaks down how toxic masculinity and the workplace intersect as well as key points for being an advocate/ally in the workplace, no matter your level of leadership
- Please check out our "Feminism 101" suggested reading list here if you're at a loose end for a great read from an Feminist author.
- Find out more about the amazing artists, Nubefy, behind the graphics we use (thou