ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the day-to-day working experiences of female bankers in feminised urban service industries. It analyses how gendered performance is a significant tactic used for selling products and gaining trust from both clients and higher levels of management within the women’s own firms. The commercialisation of womanhood is embedded in the globalised and translocal financial markets which require personalised service. Female professionals are required to perform according to ‘learned manhood’ during goal-oriented and instrumental business entertainment, while they are also expected to act like traditional women in the way they support their mostly male supervisors. Although there is an emerging feminisation in middle-management positions, the glass ceiling preventing further promotion is still evident. This chapter shows that, ironically, gender inequality in the workplace is reinforced by women themselves.
