Women In Senior Management Positions Research Articles

Engendering Pro-Sustainable Performance Through a Multi-Layered Gender Diversity Criterion: Evidence From the Hospitality and Tourism Sector

This study seeks to examine the influence of multi-layered gender diversity mechanisms on firms’ decision to engage in pro-sustainable performance in the context of Hospitality and Tourism (H&T) firms worldwide. Using Powell’s Panel Quantile Regression (PQR) model, this paper finds that females on boards and sub-boards tend to display a more communal, participative, and democratic leadership style, demonstrating greater responsibilities toward stakeholders’ concerns and engaging with sustainability strategies to make a positive contribution to society. Our findings also reaffirm that women on the boards of H&T firms are more community-oriented and philanthropically driven than women in senior management positions who can be perceived as being profit-oriented rather than stakeholder-oriented as managers. Our results offer implications for policymakers and practitioners, and we suggest several avenues for future studies that could build upon our research.

HONORED AND EMPOWERED WOMEN: AN ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE

The under representation of women in senior management positions is well recognized globally and locally. Research on the factors affecting women’s career progression has been proceeding continuously over the years and there is a significant literature regarding this issue. Different studies focus on similar factors held responsible for women’s lack of progress to senior positions across nations and societies. In the Islamic perspective there is a perception that Islam does not allow Muslim women to participate in different activities. Is does so? Based on the literature review this paper provides a brief account of the position of Muslim women from a religious perspective based on original and authentic sources in Islam. This aims to provide an analysis of the teachings of Islam regarding the role of women in society. We have come to the Conclusion in this article that during the life of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) women were engaged in Islamic and economic activities and Islam has honored and empowered women in all spheres of life. This paper also provides examples of remarkable Muslim women leaders of that time and since.

The role of women on board of directors and firm performance: Evidence from Saudi Arabia financial market

The major purpose of this article is to investigate how women on boards of directors influence firm performance in Saudi Arabia firms. The major approach utilized to assess the influence of female board members and top management positions on business performance was multivariate regression analysis. The research employed an alternate proxy assessment for women on the boards of directors and in top management. Women on boards of directors and in top management had a modestly favourable link with company success, according to the data. The study employed alternative proxy metrics for women on the board of directors and in upper management. The study contributes to the corpus of information on the influence of women on business boards of directors and in top management. The study’s shortcomings include its small sample of publicly traded Saudi firms and its concentration on the problem of women on boards of directors and in top management in Saudi Arabia, as well as their impact on firm performance. Finally, this study is the first to examine the link between the success of a corporation and the presence of women in senior management positions and on corporate boards

Modification of gender behavior of a teacher in the context of modern digital education

The article deals with the problem of the influence of gender stereotypes on the speech and social behavior of a teacher in online communication. A detailed review of the historically and culturally determined traits and behaviors of a business woman is given. The questions of the dependence of the choice of one of the behavioral patterns or their combination on the conditions in which the speaker is located are considered. On the basis of experimental observations, the dependence of behavioral preferences in offline and online communication in the educational environment was revealed. The experiments were conducted with the involvement of widely available sources-historical, business documents, personal letters. The sources were studied using the methods of a pragmalinguistic experiment and statistical analysis. The conclusions are presented in the proposed article. This allows us to talk about a certain stereotype of the speech behavior of women in senior management positions. It is concluded that it is necessary to modify the educational environment in the context of digitalization of education for the intuitive choice of an effective model of speech behavior and to increase the psychological stability and effectiveness of the teacher.

“Mummy is in a Call”: Digital Technology and Executive Women’s Work–Life Balance

Research findings confirm the contradictory impact of mobile technology on work–life balance, as these tools both guarantee greater flexibility and contribute to blurring boundaries between private and working spheres. Several articles have been published on women executives’ work–life balance in Western countries; however, their usage of mobile devices remained almost unexplored in the post-socialist region, where in the wake of the transformation not only the unquestioned neoliberal change of the corporate sector but also refamilisation took place. This article gives an overview on the issue of how women executives make use of mobile technology during their everyday activities in Hungary, where not only are the signs of ‘corporate colonization’ present, but also motherhood plays an important role. Based on twenty semi-structured interviews with Hungarian women in senior management positions carried out in 2014 and 2015, the article discusses the perceptions and narratives explained by these women. Results contribute to the ongoing debate on the paradoxical impacts of modern technology on work–life balance and its specificities in the post-socialist context.

The Status of Jordanian Women and Obstacles of their Access to High Political and Administrative Posts: an Exploratory Study

This survey study aims at highlighting the actual status of Jordanian women in order to uncover the most important obstacles to their access to high political and administrative posts as well as senior decision-making positions. The study aims also to provide solutions to overcome these obstacles, hence enhancing the political and social participation of women, which is very important in achieving comprehensive and successful development. For the purpose of this study, an analytical descriptive method, statistical tools and simple calculations were used such as percentages, frequencies, arithmetic mean and standard deviation. To collect the data, a questionnaire was designed and distributed to a national random sample (1500=N) representative of all categories of the Jordanian society. The main hypothesis of the study is that: Jordanians' trends in general are negative towards Jordanian women’s economic, social, political, legislative, organizational and subjective statuses. One of the most important findings of the study is that the sample’s estimates were positive in favor of political, legislative, organizational, social and subjective status of women, while they were negative in respect to the women economic status. Based on the findings, the study suggests a number of recommendations, including the following: - The allocation of government support fund to provide financial and technical assistant to women to enable them to own small investment projects, and the provision of supported economic programs to enhance the economic status of women and grant them financial independence which is the cornerstone in the process of their political, organizational and social participation. - Adopting policies and programs by the government to promote the representation of women in all branches of authority, and to allocate seats to women in senior management positions in different state institutions which enable women to participate in decision-making, hence weakening men's dominance, and enhancing women belief that they can be able to compete justly with men.

Coping Strategies Adopted by Women in Leadership Position to Overcome Their Barriers

In the current scenario there is a growing focus on women leadership, due to the fundamental gains women have made in the workplace. This changing scenario has given liberal opportunities for women to be successful leaders. Simultaneously, there is a paucity of women leaders and women in senior management positions who could be taking up leadership positions later and thus it is the right time to address the issue of women leadership and encourage and support women to take up leadership roles. Companies have taken many kinds of support structures in the working places, such as various coping strategies for increase the number of women at the top positions. The present study will discuss about the coping strategies adopted to overcome the barriers among women leaders in their leadership positions based on the survey results among women in leadership position at Coimbatore,Tamilnadu.

Women in senior management positions at South African universities

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present reasons for the mobility of women in senior management positions in South African higher education. Against the backdrop of women underrepresentation and retention challenges in institution of higher learning in this country, it is pertinent to share the experiences of senior women, with the aim of understanding institutional structures and cultures that make it difficult for women to survive in senior positions.Design/methodology/approachThe paper used a qualitative approach. The focus of this paper was on the women who had held or were still holding senior management positions in higher education in South Africa. The requirement for this paper was that these women should have moved out or across institutions while at a senior management position. This paper drew from five women from different institutions and involved them in in-depth interviews. The women who fitted the category of senior management in this paper included deputy vice chancellor, deans and heads of departments.FindingsThe findings indicated that the decisions to opt out of senior management positions for the women ranged from personal to institutional. The personal reasons that emerged from this paper pointed mainly to issues of salaries. The women opted to move out of their positions for better salaries which they believed they would get in the private sectors or in other institutions. Professional development also led women to move to more promising spaces that could afford them an opportunity to grow. Apart from these personal reasons, hostile institutional cultures were cited by all women as the most serious contributory factor to their turnover. Of these, they cited patriarchal practices that led to oppression and dominance, which made it difficult for them to cope in the senior positions they held.Originality/valueThis paper aimed to respond to a gap in research on senior management women’s mobility in higher education, specifically in South Africa. According to Samuel and Chipunza (2013), there is a serious concern that pertains to retention of senior management within African higher education. However, most studies do not provide a focused attention on women but offer a general interpretation of senior management turnover. There seems to be lack of research that aims at understanding the contextual reasons that lead to turnover of women senior management in South African higher education. Against the backdrop of low representation of women in senior positions in specifically South African higher education and calls for equity, the study looked at the reasons why higher education institutions at times fail to retain this most sought after group (women) in these positions of power. Understanding issues around this matter has the potential to contribute towards improved practices while adding a voice to discourses around gender equity and equality.

Sponsorship and social identity in advancement of women leaders in South Africa

PurposeIn South Africa, women in senior management positions experience social identity dilemmas, necessitating more research into this domain. While research has been conducted into coaching and mentoring of these women, limited scholarly attention has been paid to sponsorship. This paper aims to explore the social identity of women at senior management levels and sponsorship as a proposed mechanism to develop talented women.Design/methodology/approachThis qualitative research included two studies using two sample groups, both of which included executive-level respondents in corporate organisations. One study focussed on sponsorship; here, the 29-strong sample included 14 male and 15 female executives, of whom 15 were White; 9 were African and 5 were Indian. The second study, consisting of only African, coloured and Indian (ACI) female executives (23 interviewees), focussed more broadly on their development path to the C-suite.FindingsA common theme across the two studies was the inclination to give developmental support, in turn, once supported. There were prerequisites in this support-giving, however. For example, sponsors identified criteria that protégés had to meet. Despite evident gender inequality at senior management levels in South Africa, this paper reveals that in the Study 1 sample, gender and race were ostensibly irrelevant when choosing a sponsor or who to sponsor. A closer examination revealed a gender-based expectation, embedded in the South African context. Study 2 showed that ACI women above 50 years of age were more inclined to mentor others; even when they themselves were not mentored, some purposefully developed other ACI women. This paper thus suggests age as an important additional diversity dimension in relation to the career development of ACI women towards the C-suite. The findings have implications for the career development of individual ACI women and for organisations in reaching equality.Research limitations/implicationsGender differences with regard to perceptions also revealed that male respondents perceived sponsorship more as task-based actions, whereas female respondents focussed on relational elements. The paper concludes with recommendations on how individual ACI women and organisations can proactively develop talented women.Originality/valueThe paper offers insight into the gendered expectations of sponsors and gendered perceptions around merit in identifying protégés worthy of sponsorship. ACI women’s social identity changed when they joined the C-suite to identify more with their roles as executives and became less associated with their original ACI women group.

Mulheres em posição de liderança: obstáculos e expectativas de gênero em cargos gerenciais

Resumo A representatividade da mulher em altos cargos vem aumentando ao longo dos anos, mas as dificuldades ainda persistem. O objetivo deste artigo é identificar os obstáculos que se apresentam ao longo da carreira da mulher brasileira e entender como ela se reconhece na posição de líder, quais são seus principais desafios e como ela pode superá-los para atingir a igualdade - não apenas no trabalho, mas também no lar. Trata-se de uma pesquisa de campo. Selecionamos, por meio de rede social própria, 15 mulheres que atuavam como líderes em organizações públicas e privadas no Rio de Janeiro, entre 2014 e 2016. Os resultados mostraram que essas mulheres tinham uma noção mais andrógina de liderança do que a sugerida pela literatura e que elas se viam como merecedoras desse papel, apesar de sofrerem vários tipos de preconceito em suas trajetórias.

Introduction to Special Issue on Gender and Leadership and a Future Research Agenda

Despite the feminisation of universities in terms of their student intake [1,2], formal positions of academic leadership in higher education remain concentrated in male hands[…]

El techo de Cristal en México

The “glass ceiling” is defined as the obstacles that obstruct a woman to achieve high-level positions in organizations. The aim of this paper is to analyze the current situation of women in senior management positions in the Mexican context, in order to measure how much the glass ceiling affects their professional development. For that, a documentary research was conducted by collecting information from both, companies listed on the Mexican Stock Exchange (BMV, according to its initials in Spanish) companies, as well as recent publications by the business sector in Mexico. The main finding of this study shows that on average, women who make up the Board of Directors in companies listed on the Mexican Stock Exchange companies, only reaches 4.56%, additionally, of the 500 best companies to work in Mexico, only 3% are directed by women, and, of the 50 most powerful women in Mexico, only 14% are company executives. Which shows that despite the advances that have occurred in relation to gender equality is still difficult for women to overcome theglass ceiling.

Gendered management in Spanish universities: functional segregation among vice-rectors

ABSTRACTThe reorganisation of higher education according to the marketplace logic – and framed within the process of Europeanisation and globalisation – has run parallel to a significant rise in the number of women in senior management positions at Spanish universities. This would seem to be a step to more gender equality. However, the analysis of the situation used thus far, based on conventional indicators, may be harbouring a not-so-egalitarian reality. Our approach studies the gender distribution of vice-rectors according to assigned functions in all forty-eight Spanish public universities offering both graduate and postgraduate studies. It does so by creating a typology to exemplify gendered divisions of labour within those positions. The results confirm an uneven gender distribution: women, although mostly in charge of caregiving and housekeeping functions, are underrepresented across the board in areas where strategic power resides and the future of university is decided and where, eventually, gender norms could be changed.

The glass ceiling: fact or a misguided metaphor?

PurposeThe glass ceiling is a metaphor used to characterize the gender inequality of women at the top in most large western organizations. This situation has prompted many business organizations, NGOs and governments to encourage large organizations to promote more women into the executive suite and onto boards of directors. While there is little controversy about this initiative, this paper argues that there should be because it directly challenges the principle that merit should outweigh diversity. The paper aims to discuss these issues.Design/methodology/approachThis paper reviews research that purports to show that women are unfairly under-represented in the most senior positions in large western organizations. It also reviews the arguments that more senior women would improve the performance of these organizations. This research is then used to develop a model of why there are markedly fewer women than men at the top of large organizations.FindingsThis study finds that most of the research studies purporting to show that there is a bias against promoting women to the top of large western organizations are unsound because they are poorly designed and/or fail to accommodate alternative explanations for this effect. Thus, the current number of women who run these organizations may be a good reflection of their contribution to the management of these organizations. These findings suggest that many of the policies that are promoted to help women break through the glass ceiling are misguided.Practical implicationsLarge organizations should think carefully about following the advice of special interest groups who vigorously promote this social cause.Social implicationsSocial policy advocates need better research from which to advance their cause that there are currently too few women in senior management positions of large organizations.Originality/valueThis is one of only a handful of papers that challenges the current orthodoxy that artificial glass ceilings are restricting the potential contribution of women to the better management of large organizations.

A Critical Analysis of the Literature in Women’s Leadership in Saudi Arabia

Abstract--The presence of women in various fields of employment and aspects of public life in Saudi Arabia has been increasing continuously, with the last 10 years witnessing considerable growth in the participation of women in senior management positions and in the decision-making process in public and private sectors. In response to this trend, this paper attempts to explore women leadership opportunity in the Saudi environment. The paper highlights the fact that although there are many obstacles for Saudi women who are seeking to lead, there is still considerable scope for them to be appointed as leaders in the social, political and economic spheres. Women first joined the consultative assembly in 2013; in the same year women were appointed as deputy chairpersons of related committees. In 2015, women voted and ran for office in the municipal elections. Such developments indicate considerable progress in terms of the willingness of organisations to grant Saudi women the chance to occupy managerial positions.

Theory of planned behavior and women in senior-level athletic administration

PurposeWomen continue to be underrepresented in the athletic director (AD) position across all divisions of the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the USA (Acosta and Carpenter, 2014). The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of personal aspirations in pursing the AD position.Design/methodology/approachThis qualitative examination focuses on the experiences of nine women who occupy senior associate AD positions and applies the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to examine how attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control influence their aspirations to pursue the AD role.FindingsThe authors suggest a combination of negative attitudes, subjective norms, and lack of perceived behavioral control negatively influencing a woman’s aspirations to pursue the AD position. These conclusions indicate women’s experiences of career advancement are constraining with regard to advancing to the AD position.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough this study lacks generalizability, TPB is helpful in understanding underrepresentation of women in the AD position.Practical implicationsFurthermore, the authors suggest organizational strategies that cultivate and value women’s experiences. These can equalize the hegemonic male environment of intercollegiate athletics and decrease underrepresentation of women in the most senior-level position in athletic administration.Originality/valueThis study is one of the first to apply TPB to explain career advancement of women in senior management positions in athletic administration.

The Articulation of Different Life Domains among Female Senior Managers and Their Subjective Well-Being: Focusing on Meaning Constructions in Everyday

Work-life issues have become a major concern across Western societies with the objective to promote women’s careers and well-being. However, despite growing attempts to increase the number of women in senior management positions in European countries, such as Switzerland, they remain highly underrepresented. Inspired from the cultural approach in psychology, this article focuses on these women’s concrete everyday life to understand how they articulate different life domains and how this influences their subjective well-being. A narrative approach based on reflexivity is adopted to analyze women’s activity. Results show meaning intertwinements between life priorities that are often conflicting. Two psychological functions are identified: the feeling of control and the letting go of control. Each of these contributes to women’s subjective well-being through the use of diversified supports, but their structuring roles appear only in relation to one another. Results are discussed in the light of existing literature and of their implications.

Gender and prestige in Swedish academia: Exploring senior management in universities and university colleges

ABSTRACTThis article highlights the multifaceted character of the Swedish higher education sector and investigates senior academic management positions from a gender perspective using theories about an academic prestige economy and academic capitalism. The focus is on an aspect often overseen in research on Swedish academia: the distinction between universities and university colleges. The analysis draws on interviews with 22 women in senior management positions in Swedish higher education and a quantitative mapping of the Vice-Chancellor and Pro-Vice-Chancellor positions in universities and university colleges between 1990 and 2015. The results illustrate that the academic prestige economy is interwoven with both gender and academic capitalism and produce different working conditions and requirements for senior managers at universities and university colleges.

Challenges and Opportunities for Women in Distance Education Management Positions: Experiences from the Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU)

Concerns about women under-representation in positions of decision making, strategic planning, organizational development and their performance within distance education institutions has been the major focus of debates in higher education. The current study sought to investigate the challenges faced by women in distance education management positions, which were formerly dominated by males. The qualitative study examined and analysed the social, economic, traditional, political and religious factors influencing the degree of women advancement in Open Distance Learning (ODL) senior management positions. Data was collected through face to face interviews with one hundred and twenty staff members employed at the Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) using the purposive sampling technique. The major finding from the study was that women in senior management positions were affected by their multiple responsibilities which include the gendered nature of society, family influences and culture. The study recommends the holding of open and honest discussion forums on gender and equal rights issues involving both men and women and the development of family friendly culture in universities.

Women leaders in the creative industries: a baseline study

PurposeThe under‐representation of entrepreneurial women, or women leaders, in the higher levels of organisations is an increasingly debated issue. Comments in the media regarding the lack of women in senior management positions in the creative industries have attracted much attention, both for and against. Despite opposing viewpoints there is little doubt that this is an issue that requires investigation. However, understanding the under‐representation of women in senior management, leadership and ownership roles has been problematic due to a lack of “hard data”. The purpose of this paper is to provide a quantitative understanding of the under‐representation of female leaders in the UK's creative and cultural industries. Based on a study completed by TBR for the Cultural Leadership Programme (CLP) it presents baseline data and groundbreaking analysis to understand gendered leadership in organisations.Design/methodology/approachThe study for CLP established a quantitative evidence base to benchmark the number of women in leadership in the creative and cultural industries. This was possible by utilising a unique data resource, TCR, which enabled detailed analysis of gendered management structures in creative and cultural organisations. We use this evidence base to further understand gender diversity in organisational leadership positions and the characteristics of different leadership styles.FindingsThe study generated unique understanding regarding gendered leadership within the creative and cultural industries. It identified that there are 32,800 female and 82,450 male leaders in the creative and cultural industries and despite there being a comparatively high proportion of all‐female managed organisations, there are half the number of female executives per organisation compared to the UK average.Practical implicationsA trend of polarisation of all female and all male led organisations was identified over the last 25 years, which was reflected in recognition of distinct female and male leadership styles. The study proves some assumptions about the leadership approach of men and women and identifies characteristics similar to the transactional and transformational styles described inWomen at the Topby Holden and McCarthy. Unless this trend is reversed, it is likely to become increasingly important for women and men to develop skills in both transactional and transformational leadership styles.Originality/valueThe paper provides a new examination of the balance of male and female leadership in organisations and significantly furthers debate about the under‐representation of women in leadership. It provides “hard‐data” to inform future dialogue regarding entrepreneurial women and further investigates the lack of women in leadership.