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.

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.

scholarly journals CAPACITY BUILDING OF WOMEN LEADERS VIA MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 161
Author(s):  
Dzintra Ilisko ◽  
Karīna Juhneviča ◽  
Jelena Badjanova
Keyword(s):  
Women Leaders ◽  
Life Stories ◽  
Women's Leadership ◽  
Qualitative Inquiry ◽  
Leadership Positions ◽  
Assertiveness Training ◽  
Cultural Roots ◽  
Private Organizations ◽  
Study Programs ◽  
Set Up

Despite of women advancement in politics, business, and other spheres of life, women are largely absent from senior position and are marginalized in terms of power and resources. In Latvia women set up and lead vibrant and successful governmental and private organizations. The purpose of the article is to explore cultural roots of gendered inequality in leadership and economic power positions by the literature review and as reviled in interviews.  Interview data reveal the obstacles women need to overcome in their career advancement and their stories of success. Methodology: The study presents a qualitative study on women’s leadership as defined in legislation and recent research and is supported by the qualitative inquiry of life stories of seven women engaged in the education’s management programs. These women undertake leadership positions in their organizations. Conclusions: To conclude, the goal of equal participation for both male and female players in all significant spheres of life as declared in the international legislation and the United Nations, declarations will strengthen democracy and will promote its proper functioning. The authors assert that higher education through management study programs can also build women’s capacity for leadership by assertiveness training and encouraging independent and critical thinkers.

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.

scholarly journals A Journey of Difference: The Voices of Women Leaders

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria Showunmi
Keyword(s):  
Women Leaders ◽  
White Women ◽  
Data Gathering ◽  
Ethnically Diverse ◽  
Data Interpretation ◽  
Women's Leadership ◽  
Leadership Positions ◽  
Black And White ◽  
Making A Difference ◽  
Insight Into

This paper offers a view on narrative inquiries based upon leadership, in order to shed light on women’s of color and multicultural groups experience and nuance understanding of their leadership career path. Since black and other ethnic group women are ‘theoretically erased’ (Crenshaw, 1989: 139), this empirical study offers an insight into how gender, class and race influence on women’s leadership practices in three countries, while it adds to theorizing identity and leadership at schools in different international contexts. This paper intends to give voice to women leaders who are making a difference in their organization. During the past decade, interest in gender and leadership has grown to the extent that it is slowly becoming part of the leadership norm. Narrative inquiries are treated as a means of a systematic data gathering and analysis which challenges the traditional views of gender discussions (thus gender is predominantly about white women) and incorporating ethnic minority around leadership. Unfolding the stories of women—from multi-ethnic groups and mixed social class-higher education leadership positions in England, and Pakistan, may expose differences of interpretations offered by researchers from a racially and ethnically diverse background (black and white Europeans). Hence, an issue that arises is whether researchers’ cultural background affects data interpretation of studies with a highly qualitative stance.

scholarly journals Social Construction of Women Leaders among College Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-47
Author(s):  
A. Octamaya Tenri Awaru ◽  
Muhammad Syukur ◽  
Muhammad Taufik Hidayat ◽  
Supriadi Torro
Keyword(s):  
Social Construction ◽  
Women Leaders ◽  
Qualitative Method ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Women's Leadership ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
Leadership Roles ◽  
Equal Rights ◽  
Leadership Positions ◽  
The Social

Over the years men have been dominant as leaders and consider women less suitable and competent for leadership roles due to various reasons. On the contrary women of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries are emerging as successful leaders in various segments of society. But with enormous struggle and they are also few in number compared to men. Gender stereotyping is no more a relevant concept as men and women occupy all positions irrespective of their gender. Leadership has been possible for some women while others don’t get the same opportunity men get in leading organizations. Some women struggle and fight their way into leadership positions while others don’t. Women are ignored or set aside based on several reasons one primary being they need to take care of the home. Though all sort of justification is made for women not being in leadership positions it is important to understand the loss the society faces due to minimum women leaders. Despite all of this, women are said to have equal rights with men in terms of leadership. This study examines the factors that help in the formation of women leaders among the students and the social construction of women leaders among the students. This study uses a qualitative method via a structured interview. The informants of this study are selected based on certain criteria with the belief that the informants will provide accurate information related to women’s leadership among students.

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