Redoing gender: How women in the hospitality industry challenge Chinese hegemonic gender discourse

This study addresses gender in China's hospitality industry. Grounded in doing gender theory and feminist discourse, the research explores gender performance in work and non-work domains based on data gathered through 32 in-depth interviews in the mainland of China. Findings reveal that China's gender revolution is uneven across spheres and that women's liberation, centered on productive labor, represents a hegemonic gender discourse. Additionally, the gender identities of women in hospitality have undergone numerous changes. “Redoing gender” is defined in this study as challenging traditional gender norms in multiple spheres. Women redo gender by redefining gender norms, labeling hospitality feminism, strategically using femininity, and selectively performing gender in various domains. Theoretical implications of the results are discussed.