Gender Performance from 9 to 5

Colin Higgins’ 1980 comedy 9 to 5 tells the story of three women trying to make their way through a male dominated corporate workplace as well as an extremely sexist boss. Violet has the most experience at the company and gets over looked for promotions for men who she not only trained but who are also less experienced than her. Judy is entering the workplace for the first time after her husband left her for his secretary. And Doralee is treated poorly at the office by men and women alike due to the sexual harassment she endures from her boss. These three women perform the gender roles expected of them in the workplace up until the point that they finally cannot take anymore from their “sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot” of a boss. 

Judith Butler argues that “gender identity is a performative accomplishment compelled by social sanction and taboo” (520). That is to say that the social construct of gender is created by the performance of these gender roles. All three of the main women in this film perform these gender roles until they essentially construct a new gender performance that is not typical of what is expected from women in the workplace. 

Despite the fact that Violet is the most knowledgable person in the office and very well should be the boss, she is looked over time and time again for less impressive men. Throughout the beginning of the film, Violet shows that she is highly aware that she has received the short end of the stick but she performs her role in the workplace with the hope that she will eventually get the promotion she deserves. After taking over for Mr. Hart while he is in captivity, Violet makes many changes in the office that end up getting praised by the Chairman of the Board. Another interesting aspect of performance in the film is the layout of the set. The higher up in the company a person is the higher the floor they are on. The women have no access to the higher floors, but Mr. Hart and the other men do. By coming down to their floor to praise the accomplishments in the office, the Chairman of the Board is placing himself at the level of the other women and breaks his own performance of his role. 

Judy has a harder time in the office because she has had to adapt to her changing performance multiple times. After her husband leaves her, Judy must leave behind the role of the stay-at-home wife and enter into the male dominated workplace. Judy very much acted as if she was reading a script up until she stands up for herself. The other women teach her her new roles in the office and she is seen parroting what is said to her. She eventually discovers the role she wants to play once she, Violet, and Doralee begin to take action against Mr. Hart.

For me, the most interesting and complex character in the film is Doralee. Doralee undergoes extreme sexual harassment—more than that of the other women in the office—by her boss yet she is still treated poorly by the other women because they believe the rumors, started by Mr. Hart, that the two are having an affair. Although it would be easy to simply “bang the boss”, Doralee remains faithful to her husband and refuses all of Mr. Harts advances, as well as tells him off for his inappropriate behavior. She overcomes her performance of gender roles by eventually speaking up and taking action with the other girls. 

Butler recognizes that unlike in a play, the actors in gender performance do not always know that they are performing. The women in 9 to 5 however do seem to be aware of their performance and must make a conscious effort to go against their set roles. In doing so they are able to raise themselves up to the place they wish to be, whether that be boss in the company or a country music singer, and also make their workplace a better space for other women.