From the Handicap Principle to Brand Strategy – Are Gender Equality Practices And CSR Related?

Abstract

Abstract There is increasing interest in determining the impact that employment of women in management positions may have on corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Various authors suggest that gender equality practices should be factored into the broader framework of CSR. Public policy could adopt an ethic that strengthens the moral commitment to social involvement of men and women alike, and expresses public responsibility for women’s experiences in both the public and private spheres. Following this logic, the research question for the present article is: What marketing strategy factors can be utilized by women to influence their attainment of senior managerial positions? This article deals with the qualitative stage of a mixed method study that will answer the research question. The aim of the qualitative research design is to examine attitudes toward motivational factors and the environment that affect the strategic marketing of women to management positions. The research tool is a semi-structured in-depth interview, followed by a content analysis of data from transcripts. The research population includes ten women of different ages presently employed in managerial positions in Israel’s Ministry of Education. Future research directions and managerial implications are derived from this qualitative study.