Personnel practices in careers of women at the top in government and business in Nicaragua and Costa Rica

Abstract

AbstractThis article, which is the first empirical study of upper‐level female managers in Central America, extends the exploration of similarities and differences between public and private sectors in human resource management to the context of developing countries. A comparison of work hours, recruitment and selection practices, mentoring, political pressure, gender discrimination and sexual harassment, reported by female managers in public and private organizations in Nicaragua and Costa Rica, yielded no sector‐based differences and few country‐based differences. We conclude, therefore, that the public sector is not a more supportive or more fair employer for women in management than the private sector in these two countries, contrary to the assumption in the women‐in‐management literature that the public sector is a more hospitable environment. Improvements in human resources practices are appropriate in both sectors.