The Death of the Girlboss: Critical Feminist Epistemology and Implications for Human Resource Development

Abstract

Since their entrance into the workforce, millennial women have had to navigate the workplace and professional life differently than previous generations. In order to navigate challenges within the professional space effectively, some professional millennial women adopted a mentality that has come to be known as the girlboss, which emerged as a dominant archetype in both professional spaces and the broader cultural landscape and inherently propagated white feminism. The purpose of this paper is to utilize critical feminist epistemology to critique the idea of the girlboss with the intent to open the possibility for more inclusive conversations about gender, sexuality, race, power, intersectionality, and work. This paper concludes with a discussion that includes implications for HRD research and practice.