Novel Advances on Poorly Understood Challenges Women Face at Work

Abstract

As of 2018, women comprise almost half of the U.S. workforce (Catalyst, 2018), earning 57% of bachelor’s degrees, 60% of master’s degrees, and 52% of doctoral degrees (National Center for Education Statistics, 2017). Furthermore, over the past decade, evidence has accumulated showing that greater numbers of women in organizations and greater representation of women in leadership positions tend to enhance organizational functioning and performance (Catalyst, 2011; Herring, 2009). Despite the fact that diversity and inclusion appear to be critical components of most organizations’ missions and values (Bartels et al. 2013), research studies have indicated that women still undergo hardship at work given the unique challenges they face in the workplace which remain poorly understood in organizational literature (Bergman et al., forthcoming). In light of this, recent research has devoted increased attention to building an understanding of working women’s unique experiences (Grandey et al., in press). Building on this important work, the papers included in this symposium cut across a variety of methodologies, understudied populations of women, and outcome domains to explore various challenges that place women at a disadvantage in employment settings. In addition to shedding light on these challenges, the papers also offer novel insights on strategies and best practices that, if implemented, will enable organizations to leverage the benefits that arise from creating a work culture that accommodates and empowers women. The Impact of Abusive Supervision on Maternity Leave: Three Theoretical Perspectives Presenter: Meghan Ann Thornton-Lugo; U. of Akron Presenter: Megan Brauer; The U. of Akron Presenter: Caitlin M. Porter; U. of Memphis Women of Color at Work: From Invisibility to Positive Visibility Presenter: Barnini Bhattacharyya; Sauder School of Business, U. of British Columbia Double-Disadvantage for Female Teleworkers during COVID-19:Childcare Interruptions Affect Women Presenter: Marion Fortin; U. of Toulouse I, Capitole Presenter: Camille Desjardins; PhD Student Presenter: Hayley German; Huddersfield Business School, U. of Huddersfield, UK Presenter: Mark Ohana; Kedge Business School, France Oh Baby or No Baby? Examining the Role of Infertility in Women’s Working Lives Presenter: Kayla Follmer; West Virginia U. Presenter: Devalina Nag; PhD student at U. of Memphis Presenter: Kristen Price Jones; U. of Memphis Exploring the Identity Management Strategies of Working Women Who Have Experienced Pregnancy Loss Presenter: Liza Yasemin Barnes; U. of Colorado, Boulder Presenter: Sabrina DeeAnn Volpone; U. of Colorado, Boulder Presenter: Kristen Price Jones; U. of Memphis Presenter: H. Lena Kim; U. of Colorado, Boulder Presenter: Sarah Lurie; U. of Colorado, Boulder