Latin America's management gender parity will be slow

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Business Case ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Outcomes ◽  
Women's Representation ◽  
Gender Parity ◽  
Women’S Representation ◽  
Economic Trends ◽  
Management Roles ◽  
Female Presence

Subject Women's representation in management and company boards. Significance While reports show that women in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) are increasingly taking on more management roles, these rarely extend to the highest positions of leadership, including board positions. Growing evidence links women’s representation in these senior leadership positions to improved business outcomes. Impacts High rates of women’s workforce participation may help to offset economic trends that threaten to boost poverty. Gender parity is rising, but many obstacles to an increased female presence in senior management persist. Shareholders will seek more gender diversity in management as the business case for gender diversity builds.

Women at the Top

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol T. Kulik ◽  
Isabel Metz
Keyword(s):  
Financial Performance ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Organizational Outcomes ◽  
Business Case ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Corporate Boards ◽  
Women's Representation ◽  
Women’S Representation ◽  
Mediating Mechanisms

There is now an international agenda to increase women’s representation at the top of organizations. This agenda is driven in part by a business case arguing that gender diversity brings value, particularly economic value, to organizations. In this article, we review the empirical evidence linking women’s representation in senior leadership roles to countable, verifiable organizational outcomes (e.g., organizational financial performance, practices, and demographics). We consider women’s impact when they are CEOs, directors on corporate boards, members of the top management team, and managers. We conclude that women at the top have an impact on organizational outcomes, but this impact is more visible on organizational practices and organizational demography than on financial performance. We recommend that researchers studying the gender-performance link at the organizational level make their theoretical perspectives explicit, distinguish among mediating mechanisms, be selective in their outcome choices, and increase their emphasis on contextual moderators.

Women at the Top

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol T. Kulik ◽  
Isabel Metz
Keyword(s):  
Financial Performance ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Organizational Outcomes ◽  
Business Case ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Corporate Boards ◽  
Women's Representation ◽  
Women’S Representation ◽  
Mediating Mechanisms

There is now an international agenda to increase women’s representation at the top of organizations. This agenda is driven in part by a business case arguing that gender diversity brings value, particularly economic value, to organizations. In this article, we review the empirical evidence linking women’s representation in senior leadership roles to countable, verifiable organizational outcomes (e.g., organizational financial performance, practices, and demographics). We consider women’s impact when they are CEOs, directors on corporate boards, members of the top management team, and managers. We conclude that women at the top have an impact on organizational outcomes, but this impact is more visible on organizational practices and organizational demography than on financial performance. We recommend that researchers studying the gender-performance link at the organizational level make their theoretical perspectives explicit, distinguish among mediating mechanisms, be selective in their outcome choices, and increase their emphasis on contextual moderators.

Rationales of gender diversity management policies and practices in India: an exploratory empirical study in the Indian IT/ITeS industry

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 667-688
Author(s):  
Shreyashi Chakraborty ◽  
Leena Chatterjee
Keyword(s):  
Survey Methodology ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Diversity Management ◽  
Business Case ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Indian Context ◽  
Management Policies ◽  
Policies And Practices

PurposeThe Indian context is marked with weak anti-discrimination laws and patchy implementation of protection of civil rights of women at workplaces. The purpose of this paper is to unearth the rationales of the adoption of gender diversity management policies and practices in India, in the absence of laws and regulations.Design/methodology/approachInspiration is drawn from previous studies on diversity management in other national contexts, and a survey methodology was adopted. The lead researcher administered the questionnaires personally to all respondents to ensure that the understanding of the questions is uniform across respondents as gender diversity management is a relatively new concept in India.FindingsSize of the organisation (number of full-time employees), the influence of external organisations and perceived enhanced organisational flexibility were found to explain the adoption of gender diversity management policies and practices in the Indian IT/ITeS industry. Findings also indicate that Indian subsidiaries of foreign multinationals tend to adopt more gender diversity management policies and practices as compared to Indian-owned organisations.Research implicationsThis study provides evidence that organisations do not always enact structures or behaviours in the pursuit of normative rationality and also consider the economic value of them, establishing an organisational agency in adopting legitimated norms or practices. The study also shows that gender diversity management policies and practices are not only dependent on the enactment of laws but also are adopted because of the economic benefit perceived.Originality/valueDiversity management policies and practices have been mostly studied in national contexts with anti-discrimination laws or affirmative action programs and have been claimed to be a successor of equal employment opportunity (EEO) policies. In the absence of stringent laws to reduce or eliminate discrimination against women employees in Indian workplaces, this study contributes to the literature by determining whether the business case for gender diversity drives the adoption of gender diversity management in the Indian context.

Gender diversity and innovation in mining – a corpus-based discourse analysis

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 359-376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ylva Fältholm ◽  
Cathrine Norberg
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Mining Industry ◽  
Diversity Management ◽  
Business Case ◽  
Female Representation ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Gender Patterns ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this study is to gain increased knowledge about gender diversity and innovation in mining by analyzing how women are discursively represented in relation to these two concepts, and in doing so establish how diversity management is received and communicated in the industry. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on analysis of texts including references to gender diversity and innovation in mining found on the web. The tool used to retrieve the data has been WebCorpLive, a tool designed for linguistic analysis of web material. Findings Although increased female representation is communicated as a key component in the diversity management discourse, based on the idea that diversity increases innovation and creativity, closer analysis of texts on diversity and innovation in mining shows that what women are expected to contribute with has little explicit connection with innovation. Research limitations/implications The study contributes with increased knowledge about diversity management by providing an example of how it is received in a traditionally male-dominated industry. Practical implications The findings indicate that for diversity management to have a real effect in mining, it needs to be based on gender equality and social justice motives, rather than on a business case rationale – the principal motive today. To enable this change, stereotypical gender patterns, as shown in this study, need to be made visible and problematized among policy makers, practitioners and actors on all levels of the industry. Originality value The study contributes with new knowledge about gender in the mining industry previously not attended to by using a method which so far has been sparsely used in discourse analysis, although pointed out as promising.

Board gender diversity: performance and risk of Brazilian firms

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauro Mastella ◽  
Daniel Vancin ◽  
Marcelo Perlin ◽  
Guilherme Kirch
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Boards Of Directors ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Firm Risk ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Female Presence ◽  
Board Gender Diversity ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This study aims to intend to check if female board representation affects performance and risk and to analyse the evolution of the demographic aspects of the presence of women on boards in Brazil. Design/methodology/approach The authors used a sample of 150 Brazilian publicly traded companies from 2010–2018, with different measures of firm performance, firm risk and women’s presence on the board. The study approach is based on a set of ordinary least squares, quantile and panel data regressions. Findings The presence of women on the board has a positive effect on all of our accounting and market performance measures. However, the result of the impact on risk is not conclusive. The study also found that the number of females on the board has a more significant effect at the lower levels of firm performance measured by return on equity, but at the higher levels when measured by Tobin’s Q. Regarding return on assets, the more significant effect happened on the extremes of the performance distribution. The study findings point that market investors place more value in female presence on the board than in director positions. Originality/value By estimating the impact of women’s presence on the boards of directors in firm performance and risk, this study aimed to verify this impact in different aspects of the company. In addition, the authors did so in a sample with many years, making it possible to evaluate the historical evolution of the feminine presence in the boards of administration as well as in the groups of directors, assisting Brazilian legislators with new evidence about the possible impacts of Draft Law 7179/2017.

The View at the Top or Signing at the Bottom? Workplace Diversity Responsibility and Women’s Representation in Management

ILR Review ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 223-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary E. Graham ◽  
Maura A. Belliveau ◽  
Julie L. Hotchkiss
Keyword(s):  
Management Practice ◽  
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Workplace Diversity ◽  
Company Performance ◽  
Women's Representation ◽  
Women’S Representation ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact

Women lag men in their representation in management jobs, which negatively affects women’s careers and company performance. Using data from 81 publicly traded firms with more than 2,000 establishments, the authors examine the impact of two management structures that may influence gender diversity in management positions. The authors find no association between the presence of an HR executive on the top management team—a structure envisioned in practice as enhancing diversity but which could, instead, operate merely symbolically—and the proportion of women in management. By contrast, the authors show a strong, positive association between a previously unexamined measure of commitment to diversity—the hierarchical rank of the individual certifying the company’s required, confidential federal EEO-1 report—and women’s representation in management. These findings counter the common perception that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) regulations are too weak to affect gender diversity. The authors discuss the implications for diversity scholarship, as well as for management practice and public policy.

The effect of women’s representation on the Global Gender Gap Index

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 241-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon Mastracci
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Economic Outcomes ◽  
World Health ◽  
Gender Gaps ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Women's Representation ◽  
Public Sector Management ◽  
Women’S Representation ◽  
Global Gender Gap Index

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to find the most important factors to the Index that explains gender gaps in education, health, politics, and economic outcomes worldwide. Design/methodology/approach World Economic Forum (WEF) data are analyzed using hedonic regression analysis to estimate which factors affect a country’s Global Gender Gap Index. Standardized β coefficients reveal the top five factors influencing the Index, just as key components of the US Consumer Price Index are teased out using this method. Findings Women in public sector management, administration, and politics explain a substantial portion of gender inequality. Policies to increase women’s representation in parliaments, as heads of state, in ministerial positions, and in public sector management mitigate inequality as gauged by the Gender Gap Index. Economic indicators are also among the leading components of the Gender Gap Index. Research limitations/implications Although comprehensive and drawn from several sources including the World Health Organization, the International Labour Organization, and the United Nations Development Programme, WEF data do not capture the full experience of women worldwide. Subsequent qualitative research is recommended. Practical implications This analysis reveals policy recommendations for advocates working to close gender gaps, particularly in politics and economic outcomes. Increasing proportions of women in public sector management can mitigate inequality. This supports electoral quotas and human resource management initiatives to diversify management ranks. Social implications Increasing women’s share of public sector managerial positions fosters gender equity, as does increasing women’s share of elected and appointed positions. Originality/value This study provides quantitative evidence of the important role of women’s representation to guide subsequent fieldwork. This evidence supports efforts to increase women in elective office and public sector management.

Diversity ASX corporate governance recommendations: a step towards change?

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 335-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonia Shimeld ◽  
Belinda Williams ◽  
Justin Shimeld
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Cultural Change ◽  
Listed Company ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Business Case ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Gender Inequity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Disclosure Requirements ◽  
Before And After

Purpose The business case argument was used to underpin the inclusion of diversity disclosures within the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) Corporate Governance Principles and Recommendations (2010). By adding a requirement for diversity disclosure, an increase in focus on diversity would be expected because of a heightened level of accountability. Whether this change in the Recommendations affected any change in the boardroom is questionable though. The purpose of this paper is to explore the effectiveness of these disclosure requirements. Design/methodology/approach The authors draw on data obtained from a random sample of 120 ASX-listed company annual reports across two time periods: 2009 and 2012 (before and after the change in the Recommendations). Findings Although findings indicate that there has been some change, especially in the more visible companies (ASX200), many of the changes appear to be largely superficial with a continued focus on the business case perspective. Social implications While the disclosure recommendations have the potential to be a driver in addressing gender inequity, the findings of this paper indicate that without deep change at the organisational level, requiring listed companies to disclose on gender diversity may have little impact, with the focus remaining on the business case and business as normal. Originality/value This paper contributes to the literature on gender diversity in the boardroom and the effect of disclosure. The empirical findings contribute to an understanding of the diversity Recommendations within the ASX Corporate Governance Principles and Recommendations, but in doing so, it calls for deeper organisational cultural change if real change is to take effect.

Is Diversity Still a Good Thing?

2017 ◽  
Vol 82 (4) ◽  
pp. 868-877 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cedric Herring
Keyword(s):  
Equal Opportunity ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Business Case ◽  
Good Thing ◽  
Business Organizations ◽  
Business Outcomes ◽  
Sales Revenue ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Number Of Customers ◽  
The Relationship

In this reply to Stojmenovska, Bol, and Leopold’s comment on my 2009 ASR article, “Does Diversity Pay?” I offer an updated analysis of the relationship between racial and gender diversity in business organizations and such business outcomes as sales revenue, number of customers, market share, and relative profits. Despite the claims in their comment, an updated analysis supports the business case for diversity perspective. Racial and gender diversity are related to business outcomes in the direction predicted. I conclude that diversity is still a good thing, not just because it is related to business outcomes, but also because it reinforces the belief that everyone deserves an equal opportunity.

scholarly journals The Business Case for Women Leaders: Meta-Analysis, Research Critique, and Path Forward

2016 ◽  
Vol 44 (6) ◽  
pp. 2473-2499 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny M. Hoobler ◽  
Courtney R. Masterson ◽  
Stella M. Nkomo ◽  
Eric J. Michel
Keyword(s):  
Financial Performance ◽  
Women Leaders ◽  
Boards Of Directors ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Business Case ◽  
Top Management Teams ◽  
Women's Leadership ◽  
Leadership Positions ◽  
Women's Representation ◽  
Women’S Representation

Since the 1990s, a growing body of research has sought to quantify the relationship between women’s representation in leadership positions and organizational financial performance. Commonly known as the “business case” for women’s leadership, the idea is that having more women leaders is good for business. Through meta-analysis ( k = 78, n = 117,639 organizations) of the direct effects of women’s representation in leadership (as CEOs, on top management teams, and on boards of directors) on financial performance, and tests that proxy theoretical arguments for moderated relationships, we call attention to equivocal findings. Our results suggest women’s leadership may affect firm performance in general and sales performance in particular. And women’s leadership—overall and, specifically, the presence of a female CEO—is more likely to positively relate to firms’ financial performance in more gender egalitarian cultures. Yet taking our findings as a whole, we argue that commonly used methods of testing the business case for women leaders may limit our ability as scholars to understand the value that women bring to leadership positions. We do not advocate that the business case be abandoned altogether but, rather, improved and refined. We name exemplary research studies to show how different perspectives on gender, alternative conceptualizations of value, and the specification of underlying mechanisms linking leadership to performance can generate changes in both the dominant ontology and the epistemology underlying this body of research.

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