On Monday 31 March 2025, the Gender, Diversity and Inclusion Committee of the Faculty of Science (GenDI) continued their Huygens Diversity Lecture series. Prof. dr. Yvonne Benschop, professor of Business Administration at the Radboud University, presented ‘Not just one woman at a time: Re-radicalizing a feminist project at work in a postfeminist era’.
The lecture by Yvonne Benschop drew a full house with students and staff members from various faculties filling the room. She started her presentation by unpacking the concept of postfeminism, describing it as a cultural phenomenon rooted in individualism, choice and personal empowerment and is therefore closely aligned with the notion of neoliberalism. While postfeminism emphasizes individual choice, it neglects systemic causes, such as the responsibility of the society or community. This is problematic as it can lead to perspectives in which it seems that gender inequality is an issue of the past, individuals always have to improve themselves and that people are responsible for their own career progression due to the choices they make. These perspectives neglect structural inequality and discrimination which could possibly put the progress we, as a society, have made towards equality at risk.
In response to the problem of postfeminism, Yvonne Benschop suggested several strategies for change. For example, to form effective dissonance to challenge existing norms and structures in the organization. Moreover, to create collectivity in which values such as solidarity, support and empathy are fostered. We can create dissonance and collectivity by raising awareness, making individual experiences part of a collective experience through humour and support and creating networks and committees, such as GenDI, that can put inequality onto the organizational agenda.
The compelling presentation was followed with a lively and thought-provoking discussion on how our institutions can better promote justice in equality.
For those who would like to read more, we would highly recommend the paper by Yvonne Benschop and Patricia Lewis named ‘Not just one woman at a time: Re-radicalizing a feminist project at work in a postfeminist era’, published in Human Relations.