Gender Inequality In Organizations Research Articles

A comprehensive analysis of gender dynamics in organizations: Integrating social, structural and individual dimensions

AbstractThis study delves into gender dynamics in 12 Technical Vocational and Education Training (TVET) organizations in Ethiopia, using qualitative methods. We conducted 96 face‐to‐face interviews and triangulated the data through observations, employee records and document reviews. Thematic analysis revealed that gender inequality in organizations persists due to the interplay of social, structural and individual factors. Emphasizing individual or societal aspects hinders transformative efforts. A holistic approach considering these dimensions is crucial for understanding and addressing gender inequality. Identifying and dismantling structural barriers is essential for gender transformation. Focusing solely on individual‐level issues, like female‐only mentoring, is insufficient for achieving gender equality. A combination of strategies is needed to tackle structural problems and societal assumptions, fostering organizational transformation.

The militarized workplace: How organizational culture perpetuates gender inequality in Korea

AbstractThis study advances our understandings of gender inequality in organizations by examining the experiences of young women who leave their jobs even in the absence of family responsibilities. Based on 29 in‐depth interviews with young women who left full‐time employment at large Korean firms early in their careers, complemented by interviews with 16 men who also resigned from these companies, I find that women's experiences and decisions to quit are critically shaped by what I term militarized workplace culture and practices. The militarized workplace is a work organization where core military values and mechanisms have been integrated and are reproduced to such an extent that organizational culture is saturated with military discipline. Within the militarized workplace, rigid hierarchies and male‐only informal networks marginalize and exclude women, and norms of overwork and complete availability undermine women's aspirations of long‐term employment. By demonstrating the roles that male conscription and the military play in shaping organizational culture and its gendered outcomes, these findings provide insight into how external institutions operate as a source of gender inequality at the organizational level.

Pinkwashing and mansplaining: individual and organizational experiences of gender inequality at work during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT The COVID-19 pandemic has had adverse global impacts not only from a health perspective but also, and especially, in the work sphere. Drawing on the literature on gender inequality at work, this study developed four poetic inquiries to investigate how women’s working lives were affected by the pandemic in Italy. In particular, we focused on how women’s work experience has changed in their relationships with their organizations and with other workers. The findings of the study suggest that pinkwashing (i.e. a profit-driven hypocritical captatio benevolentiae adopted by companies) and mansplaining (i.e. the patronizing attitude of some men in explaining something obvious to a woman) are two critical phenomena that fuel gender inequality in organizations. Furthermore, this study provides pragmatic implications for management and policymakers by recommending a series of actions aimed at enhancing gender equality in the workplace.

Women in mining: from subtle barriers to open prejudice

PurposeThe core of this study is women in mining. The aim of this study was to analyze the perception of women, about their work environment, their career, the human resources policies and practices and the work–family balance in the context of a multinational organization in the sector.Design/methodology/approachThe case study was carried through semi-structured interviews with 27 women who work in this organization.FindingsAlthough women report that they are capable of exercising any position/function in the company, they perceive wage gap in the investigated organization; that maternity leave and the fact of having children impact their career and their rise to higher positions in the organizational hierarchy negatively; situations of prejudice and discrimination experienced at work. Sometimes subtly, sometimes not so subtly, but they still constitute barriers faced by women in mining.Originality/valueAlthough the debate around the issue of gender inequality in organizations is not recent, little has been produced about the working condition of women in occupational fields where male domination is strong, such as mining.

How to Stop the Clock: The Effects of Tenure Clock Extensions on Faculty Diversity

Work-life policies designed to accommodate mothers often undermine their career advancement. We propose a theory of “organizational policy universalism,” arguing that work-life policies will be more effective at reducing gender inequality when they are universally applied. We examine tenure-clock extensions, adopted to mitigate career penalties faced by faculty who are caregivers. We suggest that tenure-clock extensions will better reduce inequality when they reduce the salience of motherhood through policy universalism. Three types of tenure-clock extensions embody policy universalism—tenure-clock extensions available to men and women rather than only to women, extensions that apply automatically to all parents rather than requiring parents to opt in, and extensions with guidance for promotion reviewers to evaluate policy users and non-users equally. We examine the effects of tenure clock extension policies with and without features of universalism on faculty diversity at 508 U.S. colleges and universities. The findings show that universal policies are more effective at increasing the share of women among tenured faculty. While decision makers often seek to help disadvantaged groups with targeting policies, universal policies may be more effective at mainstreaming these initiatives, reducing gender inequality in organizations.

Moving from problems to solutions: A review of gender equality interventions at work using an ecological systems approach

SummaryDespite the mounting research on gender inequality in the workplace, progress toward gender parity in organizational practice has stalled. We suggest that one reason for the lack of progress is that empirical research has predominately focused on the antecedents and manifestations of gender inequality in the workplace, paying inadequate attention to the solutions that could potentially improve gender equality and women's experiences at work. Indeed, we report here that less than 5% of the relevant studies published in preeminent management, psychology, and diversity journals since the turn of the century identify practical interventions for solving gender inequality in organizations. To advance gender equality at work, we argue that a paradigm shift from problems to solutions is critical and urgent. Using ecological systems theory as our guiding framework, we present an integrative review of gender equality interventions spanning across the management, psychology, and feminist literature over the past two decades at the ontogenic system, interpersonal microsystem, and organizational microsystem levels of analysis. We subsequently provide an overview of domains not currently addressed in extant research (mesosystems, macrosystems, and chronosystems) and identify future research directions to spur progress toward workplace gender equality.

Time will tell: psychological ownership, temporal focus and attitudes toward women as managers in Ethiopia

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the individual factors that directly and indirectly favor (or hinder) employees’ attitudes toward women in management. Two sides of psychological ownership (PO), promotion-focused and prevention-focused PO, are studied as having a direct effect on employees’ attitudes toward women in management. Past and future temporal focuses are examined as possible antecedents to the sides of PO, and as indirectly affecting employees’ attitudes toward women in management.Design/methodology/approachSurvey questionnaires were collected from 230 MBA and related program students who were currently working and enrolled in one of six different universities in Ethiopia. Confirmatory factor analysis was applied to validate all measurement scales, and structural equation modeling was used to test the study hypotheses using Mplus software.FindingsEmployees with promotion-focused PO and employees with prevention-focused PO had a favorable and unfavorable attitude, respectively, toward women in management. In addition, a future temporal focus had a significant positive effect on promotion-focused PO, and a past temporal focus had a significant positive effect on prevention-focused PO. Overall, this mediation model showed that promotion-focused PO partially mediates the relationship between future temporal focus and attitudes toward equal opportunity for women managers, whereas prevention-focused PO fully mediates the negative relationship between past temporal focus and attitudes toward women in management.Practical implicationsThis study provides new insight for organizations by showing how employees’ temporal focus explains their side of PO and how that affects their reaction toward women in management.Originality/valueA new mechanism for revealing gender inequality in organizations is introduced. Moreover, the relationship between temporal focus and PO is discovered. This study is novel in providing an understanding of the antecedent to and effect of prevention-focused PO, which are largely overlooked in extant research.

Shaking Things Up: Disruptive Events and Inequality

This paper develops a theory of how disruptive events could reduce racial and gender inequality in organizations. Despite efforts from regulators and advocates, racial and gender inequality in the workplace remains high. I theorize that because the persistence of such inequality is often reinforced by organizational inertia, disruptive changes that shake up old hierarchies, break down routines, and shift culture could offer an opportunity for racial minority and women workers to advance. To examine this theory, I explore a critical but seldom analyzed organizational event in the inequality literature – mergers and acquisitions. Using a difference-in-differences design on a nationally representative sample covering 37,343 acquisitions from 1971 to 2015, I find that although acquisitions lead to occupational reconfigurations that favor higher-skilled workers, they also reduce racial and gender inequality. In particular, I find improved managerial representation of racial minorities and women and reduced racial and gender segregation in the acquired workplace. This post-acquisition effect is stronger when (a) the acquiring firm had greater racial and gender equality and (b) the acquired workplace lower racial and gender equality pre-acquisition. These findings suggest that certain types of radical organizational change could significantly advance racial and gender equality.

Career Advancement in the Hotel Industry in Timor-Leste: Study of Individual, Organizational, and Gender Differences

The hotel industry in Timor-Leste is female-dominated, but women are under-represented in management and senior executive positions. The objective of this study is to examine gender differences in the relative importance of individual and organizational factors and their effects on career advancement in the hotel industry in Dili. A survey of hotel employees in Dili was undertaken, yielding a total of 385 respondents. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The hypothesized model predicted that individual factors of personality traits, education, work experience, and organizational variables of opportunities for promotion and corporate training and development would have a positive effect on career advancement. The results found that for both genders, education and work experience were two common factors with a direct effect on career advancement. However, for male employees, conscientiousness directly predicted career growth, while corporate training and development mediated the effect of harmonious passion for work on career advancement. On the other hand, among female employees, corporate training and development directly influenced career progression and mediated the effect of openness to experience and opportunity for promotion on career advancement. This study is the first to examine the factors facilitating the career advancement of hotel employees in Timor-Leste and the extent to which their path to advancement differed for males and females. We present the theoretical and practical implications of the role of individual and organizational factors on career advancement and possible ways to mitigate gender inequality in organizations.

Broadening Versus Deepening: Gender and Brokering in Social Networks

Do women and men differ in their brokering behavior? Integrating the literatures on gender, self-construal, and social networks, we theorize that gender differences in relational interdependence produce different patterns of helpful brokering among women versus men. Two experiments tested the hypothesis that tie strength moderates the effect of gender on two types of helpful brokering: helping others form new network ties (intermediary brokering) and helping others repair strained network ties (conciliatory brokering). In both experiments, the observed gender by tie strength interactions were driven by gender differences in network-broadening behavior (i.e., willingness to help weak ties) rather than network-deepening behavior (i.e., willingness to help strong ties). Experiment 2 provides evidence that differences in relational self-construal mediate the effect of gender on brokering behavior. We discuss the implications of these findings for gender inequality in organizations and in society.

I broke the glass ceiling, now what? Overview of metaphors to explain gender inequality in organizations

PurposeThis paper aims to identify and systematically summarize the relevant research on metaphors that are used to explain gender inequalities in the organizational context.Design/methodology/approachThe researchers conducted a systematic literature review using bibliometric techniques and content analysis.FindingsThe systematic literature review identified a total of 1,269 papers in 688 journals written by 2,441 authors. The first paper was published in 1971 and the publication growth can be observed in the five decades analyzed. The Gender in Management: An International Journal, was the journal that published more papers about this thematic. Michelle Ryan was the most influential researcher regarding the number of papers and citations she had. The content analysis performed with the 27 most influential papers showed 4 research streams (metaphors; gender and leadership; challenges, stereotypes and toxic environment; and gender in the academy). Concerning the metaphors explored in those papers, the glass ceiling is the most prominent. Furthermore, 26 kinds of barriers were identified regarding the challenges that women face to reach positions of power.Practical implicationsThe scrutiny of the metaphors and barriers enable access to what is being a hindrance to female progression in the organizational structure. So, this study may instrumentalize organizations and women to improve gender diversity practices in the workplace.Originality/valueThe value of the paper lays in the extensive literature review, using a bibliometric approach and content analysis.

Reconceptualizing What and How Women Negotiate for Career Advancement

We propose a conceptual framework for expanding the scope of future research on the role of gender in career negotiations. Extant research on gender in career negotiations emphasizes women’s disadvantages relative to men in compensation negotiations. We present an inductive study of what and how women negotiate for career advancement and the attainment of leadership positions in organizations, drawing on data from diverse samples of negotiation accounts by senior executive, mid-level, and early career professionals from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors and six world regions. Integrating insights from six studies, we propose a more comprehensive perspective on what men and women negotiate for career advancement, including their role development and work–family conflicts, as well as compensation. We also identify three distinct negotiating strategies—asking, bending, and shaping—that vary in the extent to which the negotiator conforms to, deviates from, or attempts to redefine organizational norms. Our analyses suggest that the choice of negotiating strategy has implications for men’s and women’s career progression, particularly for women’s navigation of nontraditional career paths and men’s and women’s leadership claiming. We suggest new directions for research on the role of negotiation in career advancement and in promoting and mitigating gender inequality in organizations.

Shaking Things Up: Unintended Consequences of Firm Acquisitions on Inequality and Diversity

This paper develops a theory of how disruptive events could reduce racial and gender inequality in organizations. Despite pressure from regulators and advocates, racial and gender inequality in the workplace remains high. I theorize that because such inequality is often reinforced by organizational inertia, disruptive changes that shake up old hierarchies, break down routines, and shift culture could offer an opportunity for racial minority and women workers to advance. I test this theory by examining 37,343 mergers and acquisitions in the United States from 1971 to 2015. Using a difference-in-differences design, I find that although acquisitions lead to occupational reconfigurations that favor higher-skilled workers, they also improve the managerial representation of racial minorities and women and reduce racial and gender segregation in the acquired workplace. These findings suggest that certain radical organizational changes could significantly reduce racial and gender inequality.

Network Recruitment and the Glass Ceiling: Evidence from Two Firms.

Does network recruitment contribute to the glass ceiling? We use administrative data from two companies to answer the question. In the presence of gender homophily, recruitment through employee referrals can disadvantage women when an old boys’ network is in place. We calculate the segregating effects of network recruitment across multiple job levels in the two firms. If network recruitment is a factor, the segregating impact should disadvantage women more at higher levels. We find this pattern, but also find that network recruitment is a desegregating force overall. It promotes women’s representation strongly at all levels, but less so at higher levels. This article shows how administrative data can be used to tackle the complex problem of gender inequality in organizations to counter the glass ceiling.

Institutional Change, Founding Team Homogeneity, and Gender Disparity in Entrepreneurship

Prior research on gender inequality in organizations has mainly studied the role of established organizations in generating different career outcomes for men and women. Recent studies, however, have examined gender inequality in the context of new ventures by looking at antecedents of female entrepreneurship and determinants of gender differences in new venture success. Yet entrepreneurship is rarely a solo endeavor, and with whom female entrepreneurs found new ventures can be critical to their success. Thus, this paper presents the composition of founding teams as a source of gender disparity. I examine how a market-oriented institutional change that lowers entry barriers to entrepreneurship unintentionally increases team-level homogeneity and contributes to gender disparity in founding team quality. As a quasi-experiment, I utilize a deregulation on the minimum required founding team size in the Korean legal industry. I argue that demographic homogeneity in founding teams increases after the deregulation because of the sequence of homophily in co-founder recruitment – entrepreneurs’ preference to first recruit more similar others and then reach out to less similar others. I further suggest that, due to the strong field-level correlation between gender and human capital attributes in the legal profession, founding team quality is particularly undermined for female founders, partly explaining why gender inequality persists despite the recent influx of women into the profession. To support these claims, I analyze 586 law firms founded by 2,572 lawyers in Korea between 2005 and 2014.

Managerss Political Ideology and Gender Inequality within Organizations

Significant prior research has examined the role that managers play in producing gender inequality in organizations, but little work has directly explored the role of managers’ beliefs and attitudes. We bring managers’ beliefs and attitudes to the fore by theorizing about the relationship between managers’ political ideology, situated on a liberal-conservative continuum, and the level of gender inequality among their subordinates. Using novel microdata from the legal services industry, we find that law offices whose partners are more liberal have lower rates of gender inequality in the hiring and promotion of associate attorneys. Further, examining the interaction between partners’ gender and partners’ political ideology, we find that the political ideology of male partners is significantly more powerful in affecting these differences as compared with the ideology of female partners. Finally, we do not find evidence that these differences are driven by selection, in the form of higher quality female associates choosing to work for more liberal partners. We discuss the implications of our theory and findings for individual careers and firm performance.

Gender inequalities in the workplace: the effects of organizational structures, processes, practices, and decision makers' sexism.

Gender inequality in organizations is a complex phenomenon that can be seen in organizational structures, processes, and practices. For women, some of the most harmful gender inequalities are enacted within human resources (HRs) practices. This is because HR practices (i.e., policies, decision-making, and their enactment) affect the hiring, training, pay, and promotion of women. We propose a model of gender discrimination in HR that emphasizes the reciprocal nature of gender inequalities within organizations. We suggest that gender discrimination in HR-related decision-making and in the enactment of HR practices stems from gender inequalities in broader organizational structures, processes, and practices. This includes leadership, structure, strategy, culture, organizational climate, as well as HR policies. In addition, organizational decision makers’ levels of sexism can affect their likelihood of making gender biased HR-related decisions and/or behaving in a sexist manner while enacting HR practices. Importantly, institutional discrimination in organizational structures, processes, and practices play a pre-eminent role because not only do they affect HR practices, they also provide a socializing context for organizational decision makers’ levels of hostile and benevolent sexism. Although we portray gender inequality as a self-reinforcing system that can perpetuate discrimination, important levers for reducing discrimination are identified.

Unpacking the Glass Ceiling: Mechanisms that Produce Gender Inequality in Organizations

Abundant evidence documents that a glass ceiling persists, such that women achieve lower levels of career success than men, after accounting for human capital and other career-relevant qualificatio...

Status Constraints in Negotiation: Studies of Global-Local Biculturals in the Arab Gulf

Research suggests that social constraints on women’s negotiating behavior (e.g., backlash) contribute to gender inequality in organizations (e.g., pay gaps). Negotiation scholars propose that women...

Duelling with dualisms: Descartes, Foucault and the history of organizational limits

Critical perspectives in organization studies often dismiss Descartes’ philosophical contribution because it is seen to legitimize a patriarchal and phallocentric mode of reasoning. In particular, the Cartesian mind–body dualism is said to reinforce gender inequality in organizations by privileging the rational mind over the emotional body. However, not only is this view incomplete and misleading, it also fails to consider the more significant division between reason and madness in Descartes’ work. For Foucault, Descartes’ Meditations plays a role in excluding madness from the domain of thought at the beginning of the classical age; this mirrors organizational practices of exclusion in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, namely the incarceration of the mad in houses of confinement. This tells us that Descartes’ work has relevance for understanding the relation between philosophy and organizations in a specific historical context. In place of the historically de-contextualized use of philosophy we frequently find in organization studies, we propose that organizational scholars should seek to identify physical exclusions, conceptual binaries and historical breaks in order to conduct a critical ontology of the present – what we call a ‘history of organizational limits’.