Are gender diversity issues a hidden problem in logistics and supply chain management? Building research themes through a systematic literature review

Abstract

The literature has extensively examined the economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable supply chain management, but much less attention has been given to social aspects, specifically gender diversity (GD) issues in the supply chain. This study systematically reviews the literature to determine the current situation of GD in the supply chain and develop an appropriate research agenda of emerging themes. 49 peer-reviewed articles were selected for this study. The descriptive analysis confirms the growing importance and relevance of GD issues in logistics and supply chain management (LSCM), and the wide dispersion of publications across 31 journals also reflects the broad scope of GD issues in LSCM. Following content analysis, the selected studies are classified and analysed according to career-related factors, barriers and drivers for female participation in the supply chain, diversity management, gender differences in decision-making, supplier diversity, supply chain performance, gendered global value chains and production networks, and GD and modern slavery in supply chains. Despite an increase in the number of studies addressing GD in supply chains, this article demonstrates that many research areas remain unexplored. It explicitly points out five major gaps in the literature and develops a research framework and propositions. The research topics reflect potential areas of exploration to advance supply chain literature related to GD as a social issue.