Gender Diversity Research Articles

Demystifying the Attitudes of Small and Medium Enterprises Employers towards Gender Diversity in Namibia

This study explored for the attitudes of small and medium enterprises employers towards gender diversity. The study was conducted through qualitative methods, with data collected from a purposively selected sample drawn from the population of 1238 SMEs operating within the capital city, Windhoek. The sample size was 65 and data were gathered through focus group discussions. Data were analyzed through content analysis conducted manually in order to allow in- depth interaction with data. The study found that many SME employers adopt an indecisive stance toward the implementation of gender diversity. While some SMEs recognize the importance of gender diversity, there is limited indication of formal policy supporting it. Findings also pointed to the absence of understanding and poor training on the value of gender diversity as causes of failure by SMEs to adopt gender diversity. Low leadership commitment to creating diversity and inclusion in the workplace is also a challenge. The findings further show that management's perceptions of gender diversity are not necessarily congruent with the expectations of employees. It has also been found that most SMEs fall behind in embracing realistic approaches to a diverse workplace, primarily because of constrained resources or strategic plans. Further, the research highlights organizational culture as an important predictor of gender diversity attitudes. Employee recruitment and promotion in most SMEs are dictated by social norms and traditional gender roles. To enhance gender diversity in Namibian SMEs, these businesses should have a proper gender diversity policies, offering definite guidelines on recruitment, promotion, and inclusion. The study also recommended diversity audits every year to track progress, inclusion of mandatory gender sensitivity and bias training for employees and management. Training could be performed quarterly using inexpensive workshops or web-based courses, with the impact assessed within a year. SMEs should also set specific objectives for gender diversity, such as having more women in leadership positions. This would allow continuous measurement of progress.

Corporate Board Diversity and Firm Performance

A group of people from different backgrounds, genders, and life experiences, when they come together to work for a company, such diversification reflects to corporate boards'. Bringing different ideas and perspectives to the table, helping the company grow and understand its customers better. This study looks at how different types of diversity including gender, ethnicity, and knowledge and how organizations work and perform based on it. Gender diversity impacts how teams behave, how leaders manage, and how decisions are made. Knowledge diversity brings together different skills and ideas, which helps with problem-solving and creativity. Ethnic diversity adds innovation, boosts the company's reputation, and gives it a competitive edge, but it can sometimes create challenges in communication and decision-making. The study also examines how diversity plays a role at different levels within a company, highlighting its symbolic value and practical benefits. Keywords: Corporate boards, Gender diversity, Knowledge diversity, Ethnic diversity.

Gender diversity and cost of equity capital: evidence from an emerging market

Gender diversity and cost of equity capital: evidence from an emerging market

Corporate Board Diversity and Firm Performance

A group of people from different backgrounds, genders, and life experiences, when they come together to work for a company, such diversification reflects to corporate boards'. Bringing different ideas and perspectives to the table, helping the company grow and understand its customers better. This study looks at how different types of diversity including gender, ethnicity, and knowledge and how organizations work and perform based on it. Gender diversity impacts how teams behave, how leaders manage, and how decisions are made. Knowledge diversity brings together different skills and ideas, which helps with problem-solving and creativity. Ethnic diversity adds innovation, boosts the company's reputation, and gives it a competitive edge, but it can sometimes create challenges in communication and decision-making. The study also examines how diversity plays a role at different levels within a company, highlighting its symbolic value and practical benefits. Keywords: Corporate boards, Gender diversity, Knowledge diversity, Ethnic diversity.

Leveraging Wikipedia for educational innovation: a higher education course model for enhancing students’ competencies and collaborative knowledge creation

The integration of Wikipedia into higher education has remained sporadic, often limited to isolated assignments rather than systematic curriculum integration. This study addresses this gap by examining an innovative university-level Wikipedia course designed to enhance student learning through active knowledge production and community engagement. Originating from a medical-focused initiative, the course represents the first for-credit, interdisciplinary Wikipedia course accessible to undergraduates at Tel Aviv University. Through three iterations involving 88 students, the course facilitated the creation of 260 new articles, garnering over 21 million views, demonstrating its broad societal impact. The course’s design, structured around peer and self-assessment, active collaboration with the Wikimedia community, and scaffolded skill development, significantly contributed to students’ academic performance, digital literacy and reflective learning. Using a mixed-methods approach, including statistical analysis of assessments and qualitative feedback, the study found a strong correlation between peer/self-evaluation and final instructor scores, underscoring the reliability of the assessment model. The findings highlight Wikipedia’s potential as a scalable educational tool, fostering open knowledge production and bridging knowledge gaps, particularly in gender representation. Future research should explore the long-term impact of Wikipedia-based learning on students’ academic and professional development, as well as the integration of emerging digital tools, such as Generative AI, to enhance collaborative learning experiences. This study contributes to the discourse on digital pedagogy, emphasizing Wikipedia’s role in transforming higher education through open-source, participatory learning.

Men and masculinities in entrepreneurial ecosystems: entrepreneurial leaders’ perspectives on gender bias interventions

PurposeThis study examines how male entrepreneurial leaders perceive and engage with gender bias interventions, highlighting their varied roles in challenging dominant masculinities within entrepreneurial ecosystems and advancing gender diversity.Design/methodology/approachUsing a qualitative research design, we conducted a single-case study of a medium-sized technology startup located in one of Europe’s leading startup ecosystems. This methodology allowed us to gain in-depth insights into a revelatory case while minimizing potential self-selection biases in our sample.FindingsThe analysis reveals a spectrum of attitudes among male entrepreneurial leaders toward gender bias interventions. These attitudes, and ultimately men’s willingness to challenge dominant masculine norms within entrepreneurial ecosystems, are shaped by factors such as their awareness of gender biases, perceived responsibility to address them, capacity for empathy with women in male-dominated environments, and prior experiences with gender bias interventions.Originality/valueWhile previous research has critiqued the limitations of “fixing the women” approaches in fostering gender-inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems, this study shifts the focus to addressing how to “fix the system” and its inherent gender biases. The role of men in either perpetuating or challenging hegemonic masculinities through gender bias interventions has been largely neglected in existing literature. By addressing this gap, our study provides both theoretical insights and practical recommendations for creating more effective gender diversity initiatives within entrepreneurial ecosystems.

Heterosexual learners’ accounts of gender and sexuality diversity: race, religion, reproduction and ritual

ABSTRACT Drawing on qualitative data from young people in a South African high school, this paper examines how gender and sexuality diversity (GSD) is policed and (re)negotiated within the intersecting realms of masculinity, cultural norms, spirituality, religion and family. First, findings draw attention to family/community ideals through the idealisation of Zulu cultural identity based on heteronormativity. Second, ancestral veneration and Christian beliefs further entangle spiritual authority with cultural norms through which GSD is cast as ‘un-African.’ Yet, these rigid binaries are not absolute. We also find instances of spiritual fluidity, including stories of sangomas engaged in same-sex relationships, as well as recourse to South Africa’s rights-based frameworks, revealing countervailing narratives that challenge heteronormativity. We conclude the paper by calling attention to the importance of comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) that is culturally sensitive yet able to dismantle oppressive binaries, acknowledging the shifting realities of young people in South Africa.

Gender and racial diversity socialization in science.

Scientific collaboration networks are a form of unequally distributed social capital that shapes both researcher job placement and long-term research productivity and prominence. However, the role of collaboration networks in shaping the gender and racial diversity of the scientific workforce remains unclear. Here we propose a computational null model to investigate the degree to which early-career scientific collaborators with representationally diverse cohorts of scholars are associated with forming or participating in more diverse research groups as established researchers. When testing this hypothesis using two large-scale, longitudinal datasets on scientific collaborations, we find that the gender and racial diversity in a researcher's early-career collaboration environment is strongly associated with the diversity of their collaborators in their established period. This diversity-association effect is particularly prominent for men. Coupled with gender and racial homophily between advisors and advisees, collaborator diversity represents a generational effect that partly explains why changes in representation within the scientific workforce tend to happen very slowly.

Intersectionality Under Debate in a Globalized World: A Critical Review of the Construction of Democratic Societies Through the Interrelation of Gender, Race, and Cultural Diversities

Intersectionality Under Debate in a Globalized World: A Critical Review of the Construction of Democratic Societies Through the Interrelation of Gender, Race, and Cultural Diversities

In quest of an authentic identity – an exploratory study of mental health assessment of gender incongruence in urban India

Last decade in India has seen increasing visibility and dialogue on trans health including gender affirmative interventions. This has been enabled by growing mobilisation and assertion from trans communities and a range of legal and policy changes supporting trans inclusion. In this paper, we focus on mental health assessment of gender dysphoria/ incongruence that is the first and an essential step for a transgender person in the Indian context to be able to access medical and surgical gender affirmative interventions. We discuss findings of a mixed-method, exploratory study conducted with 165 mental health professionals (MHPs) in three cities of India. In this paper we primarily present qualitative data on MHPs’ understanding of gender incongruence, their practice of assessment, rationale for the same and ways in which they end up gatekeeping access to medical and surgical gender affirmative interventions. Concepts such as biological determinism of gender, trans normativity, pathologisation of trans and gender diversity, mental stability and capacity are used to critically discuss findings.

WOMEN LEADERSHIP AND CORPORATE WATER INFORMATION DISCLOSURE: MODERATING EFFECT OF INTERNET VISIBILITY

Indonesia faces a critical clean water scarcity issue, with only 67% of the population's water demand satisfied in 2021. This study examines the role of women directors in enhancing water information disclosure, focusing on the moderating effect of internet visibility. A quantitative research design was employed, analyzing secondary data from 723 Indonesian companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) that published GRI Sustainability reports from 2019 to 2022. The unit of analysis is firm-year observations, with water disclosure measured through GRI 303 content analysis. Regression analysis tested the research hypotheses. Results show that women directors positively influence water disclosure, supporting the first hypothesis. Furthermore, the second hypothesis is also accepted, as internet visibility amplifies this relationship, fostering greater transparency. These findings highlight the novel role of internet visibility and gender diversity in enhancing water disclosure practices, offering insights into corporate governance for sustainable development in Indonesia.

Capturing Gender Diversity in Twin Research.

Most twin registries have not systematically collected the data required to determine gender identity, which has limited opportunities to evaluate potential familial contributors to gender diversity. This study addresses this gap by analyzing responses to gender identity questions introduced in Twins Research Australia's 2023 survey. Among 4475 respondents (mean age 52.2 years, SD = 15.3), 36 (0.8%) indicated a transgender or gender diverse identity, which is consistent with population-based estimates of gender diversity internationally. Gender diversity co-occurred in 2/19 monozygotic pairs and 0/8 dizygotic pairs, giving rise to tetrachoric correlations of 0.62 (95% CI [0.33, 0.87]) and 0.00 (95% CI [0.00, 0.88]), respectively. These results broadly align with previous concordance estimates from twin studies that were specifically focused on gender identity. Although limited by a small sample size, these findings demonstrate the feasibility and utility of systematically collecting gender identity data through routine twin registry surveys.

Unveiling disparity: A call to action for gender diversity in anatomy journal editorial teams.

This study aimed to determine the representation of women on the editorial teams of anatomy journals and to investigate the possible reasons for gender differences. The anatomy journals listed in the Web of Science Master Journal List and on the International Federations of Associations of Anatomy website were evaluated. The number, gender, and academic titles of editors-in-chief, associate editors, and editorial board members were recorded, along with the journals' continents, association/society memberships, quartiles, and impact factors. A total of 36 journals were analyzed. Ten out of 49 (20.41%) editors-in-chief, 71 out of 347 (20.46%) associate editors, and 285 out of 1065 (26.76%) of the editorial board members were women. The number of women on editorial teams was not related to the continent of the journal, any association/society, or quartile/impact values (p > 0.05). Asian journals had a significantly higher proportion of men associate editors compared to the higher proportion of women associate editors among North American journals (p < 0.05). There were 6 (16.67%) journals that provided information on the gender of the editorial team, 13 (36.11%) that provided academic titles, and 5 (13.89%) that published photographs. Women were rarely represented in all positions on the editorial teams of anatomical journals. The anatomical editorial community has an opportunity to make improvements toward gender equality by considering policies and strategies to overcome gender disparities.

Knowledge and Practices of Brazilian Speech-Language-Hearing Pathologists in Voice and Communication Services for Transgender and Gender-Diverse Individuals.

Knowledge and Practices of Brazilian Speech-Language-Hearing Pathologists in Voice and Communication Services for Transgender and Gender-Diverse Individuals.

Gender Diversity in the Boardroom and Firm Performance: Evidence from the Czech Republic

In modern corporate governance, one of the most studied topics in analyzing the composition of the board of directors (BoD) is the inclusion of women. Despite the growing number of empirical studies focused on substantiating women’s role in improving the financial performance of companies in Europe, America, and Asia, gender issues concerning Czech companies have been insufficiently explored. Using multiple regression models, this study of the 100 largest Czech companies investigates the relationship between the proportion of women on Czech company boards and the firms’ ROA & ROE. The most crucial finding is that female executives continue to constitute a minority in firms despite the observed positive correlation between the share of women and firm profitability in the Czech Republic. This research extends the academic literature on gender diversity within Czech companies by empirically verifying the significance of female presence in corporate governance. Strategic initiatives to facilitate female participation in corporate governance in the Czech context were assessed to provide a better understanding of the country’s specifics.

The Impact of Years of Operation on Business Performance: Empirical Evidence from Vietnamese Securities Companies

Using a quantitative research method, this study analyzes a dataset of 396 observations from 37 Vietnamese securities companies during the period 2013–2023. It examines the impact of various factors on the business performance of these companies, with a particular focus on the role of years of operation. The findings reveal that company size and gender diversity have a positive effect on business performance. In other words, larger companies and those with greater gender diversity tend to achieve higher performance. Conversely, higher inflation and long-term lending interest rates negatively affect business performance, meaning that increased inflation and interest rates lead to lower profitability for Vietnamese securities companies. A notable aspect of this study is its exploration of the impact of years of operation. The results indicate that securities companies operating for 10–15 years experience the lowest business performance, while those in the 5–10-year range achieve the highest. Interestingly, companies with 20–25 years of operation perform better than those in the 10–15-year group. Furthermore, firms with 15–20 years of experience tend to outperform those in the 20–25-year category. These findings are consistent with real-world business trends and provide valuable insights for industry practitioners. The study serves as a foundation for proposing policy recommendations to enhance the business performance of Vietnamese securities companies, helping them navigate economic fluctuations and improve their competitiveness in the market.

Gender diversity and CSR performance: an exploration of cultural enablers and barriers in China

Purpose This research aims to explore the cultural enablers and barriers affecting women leaders’ engagement in corporate social responsibility (CSR) in China, a large emerging country with distinctive social-economic and cultural contexts. Design/methodology/approach The case study method involving interviews with female directors in ten companies, supplemented by document analysis, is used for this investigation. Findings This study reveals that the social gender role of women leaders and their active promotion of CSR are deeply shaped by cultural traditions in China such as the pursuit of harmony and reciprocity in Confucian philosophies, family-centric relationships and empathic caring values and collectivism for the common good. While the harmony approach, family centrality and collectivism philosophy may encourage female leaders’ CSR engagement, these cultural elements also have paradoxical effects and undermine the contributions of female leaders to CSR. Practical implications Findings from this study suggest that policies aimed at increasing female representation need to be culturally relevant and specific. Although culture can enhance female leadership in CSR development by providing a framework of social cohesion and collective values, it can also hinder progress when traditions and norms become barriers to inclusivity and diversity. Balancing the preservation of cultural traditions with the need for social progress is a complex but essential task for empowering women leaders to engage more effectively in CSR. Originality/value Despite considerable evidence showing that female leadership can benefit company growth and CSR performance, there is little understanding as to how women leaders’ engagement with CSR is established at the business level in different cultural contexts. Previous studies relying on large empirical data to verify the relationship between female representation at the senior level and CSR performance have mostly overlooked the underlying rationale and challenges, particularly the influence of culturally informed social roles on women leaders’ engagement with CSR.

Rhetoricising and poeticising gender performativity in English translations of Cantonese opera

Cantonese opera, as an item on the Intangible Cultural Heritage list, gained widespread popularity in Hong Kong from the 1930s to the 1980s. However, the limited translation of Cantonese opera into English from this period onwards has been rather fragmented. The small number of translators working in this area encounter challenges in managing huge differences in language, rhetoric, and culture. Literary and performance rhetoric should be examined in a gendered context while considering the intimate relationship between on-stage translation (i.e., surtitles) and the translation of printed opera libretti. Gender also plays an important role in translation strategies aimed at capturing various gendered rhetorical elements that convey vivid operatic effects. Following this principle, the renowned ‘gender performativity’ theory should be applied to any analysis of the rhetorical grids of the scripts. Translators of Cantonese opera into English should be particularly attentive to literary formats that resemble classical Chinese poetry, gender metaphors and performativity in the theatrical context, and the cultural elements that subtly penetrate the lines. The rhetoric in a libretto can be categorised into ‘literary’ and ‘performance’ concepts, and thus insights can be drawn from an analysis of how such gendered features should be rhetoricised and poeticised in translation, especially in terms of the classical Chinese poetic features and cultural elements within the text. Appropriate translation strategies must also be selected to accurately represent cultural nuances and capture the subtle differences in gendered representations.

“It’s messy, but it’s real, and it’s so wonderful”: understanding resilience, self-exploration, and advocacy through drag performance

ABSTRACT The modern drag scene is facing significant challenges due to negative media coverage and a contentious political climate, threatening its cultural standing. Comprehensive empirically based studies on drag performers, including participants with diverse gender identities, i.e. drag kings, queens, and ‘bio’ or hyper queens, have remained scarce. This qualitative study investigated the impact of participation in drag on shaping resilience, gender identity, and advocacy among cisgender and transgender performers. Using social media and snowball recruitment, we conducted 11 in-depth interviews with drag performers of varied gender identities, ages, and performance experiences. Reflexive thematic analysis through a constructivist lens revealed three major themes: 1) The Big Drag (Queer) Family (i.e. the creation of chosen families), 2) Me and My Drag (i.e. personal journeys and growth), and 3) The Drag Medium is the Message (i.e. the use of drag as a platform for advocacy and social change). Key findings included significant personal development, strengthened resilience, and enhanced self-expression among performers. These findings underscored the significance of drag, highlighting its role in supporting LGBTQ+ identities in public spaces and its capacity to challenge societal norms, inviting reflection on the power of drag to shape and challenge societal norms.

The female role model tactic: Theorizing change in tech entrepreneurship

ABSTRACT In this paper, we examine how different actors within technology entrepreneurship use and theorize female role models as a change tactic to push for gender diversity. In an interview study of the field of technology entrepreneurship in Denmark, we found three different field conceptions of role models as a change tactic: the conservative, the revolutionary, and the reformist. Our research demonstrates that what appears as shared means (role models) and ends (gender diversity) differs. The role model tactic’s capacity for creating change is theorized differently—centering around the individual, the system, or the organized individuals—each cultivating a different pathway for change in the field. Our study contributes novel insights into why there is inconclusive evidence for the effects of female entrepreneurial role models. We discuss the implications of our findings, the institutionalization of the role model tactic across the field, and the significance of the three different conceptions and specifically their unintended consequences.