A reversed gender bias? Exploring intersectional identity work by Belgian women with a Turkish or Moroccan migration background

Abstract

Institutional contexts show a high potential for identity struggles, which is argued to be especially the case for women with a migration background. This is because contemporary workplaces are often associated with not only a negative gender bias towards women, but also a negative ethnic bias towards ethnic minorities. Additionally, women with a migration background might also struggle to construct their professional identity due to stereotypes that are exclusively associated with the intersection of both identities, that is compound stereotypes. As this intersectional focus has up till now only received limited attention in sociolinguistic studies, we investigate how women with a migration background construct compound groups, and how associated stereotypes influence the negotiation of professional identity. Using a discourse analytical approach, we scrutinise a corpus of 13 hours of semi-structured interviews of women with a migration background. The findings show that they construct nuanced and multi-layered categories. Additionally, they construct the intersection of both gender and ethnic identities as advantageous for their professional identities in comparison to men with a migration background. As such, the women negotiate a reversed gender bias in relation to ethnic identities in institutional contexts.