Gender and Workplace Promotion: A Case Study of a Multinational IT Corporation

Abstract

Gender equity in the workplace has been thought to have improved. Various policies in many countries have been implemented to improve gender-equal representation in upper management. The previous findings on gender variations in workplace promotion are rather mixed. This study examines workplace promotion records of more than 50 000 employees at an international IT service company to investigate the undiscovered mechanism of the potential gendered effect on workplace promotion. The findings of this study suggest that female employees tend to have a higher likelihood of workplace promotion, however, there is an unseen aspect. When employee performance is controlled for, female employees tend to have a substantially lower likelihood of workplace promotion. The results indicate that female employees have to perform significantly better to win a promotion compared to male employees, and also, statistical results that show improvement in gender equity can alter when this gender variation in work performances is controlled for.