Just talking? Middle managers negotiating problem ownership in gender equality interventions

Abstract

An important condition for gender equality change is that managers become problem owners of gender inequality, being responsible for change and committed to action. Managers regularly resist such problem ownership. This research explored how managers in a participatory gender equality intervention in science negotiated their problem ownership. The findings contribute to gender equality change literature by showing that resistance can be productive of gender equality change when the intervention provides a compelling space for negotiations on problem ownership. In addition, our research unpacked the notion of problem ownership into a complex layering concerning personal and group responsibilities and personal and group actions, providing a more detailed understanding of resistance of managers against change agency.