Managing Identity Through Attire

Author(s):  
Kanchan Tolani ◽  
Sancheeta Pugalia ◽  
Archana Shrivastava

Women experience gender stereotyping at the workplace not only by men but also by other women. Despite an increase in diversity and equality at the workplace, women in India still face gender bias and are represented less at boardroom level. According to an annual survey by Grant Thornton (2017), India ranks third lowest in the proportion of business leadership roles held by women. Though gender roles in India are changing, women in top positions are still facing various hindrances. The higher the position a woman holds in an organization, harsher are the judgments made if her clothing is perceived as inappropriate (Pine, 2014). Thus this chapter sheds light on how women managers on a daily basis use attire to manage their identities.

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1671
Author(s):  
Maura A. E. Pilotti

In many societies across the globe, females are still underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM fields), although they are reported to have higher grades in high school and college than males. The present study was guided by the assumption that the sustainability of higher education critically rests on the academic success of both male and female students under conditions of equitable educational options, practices, and contents. It first assessed the persistence of familiar patterns of gender bias (e.g., do competencies at enrollment, serving as academic precursors, and academic performance favor females?) in college students of a society in transition from a gender-segregated workforce with marked gender inequalities to one whose aims at integrating into the global economy demand that women pursue once forbidden careers thought to be the exclusive domain of men. It then examined how simple indices of academic readiness, as well as preferences for fields fitting traditional gender roles, could predict attainment of key competencies and motivation to graduate (as measured by the average number of credits completed per year) in college. As expected, females had a higher high school GPA. Once in college, they were underrepresented in a major that fitted traditional gender roles (interior design) and over-represented in one that did not fit (business). Female students’ performance and motivation to graduate did not differ between the male-suited major of business and the female-suited major of interior design. Male students’ performance and motivation to graduate were higher in engineering than in business, albeit both majors were gender-role consistent. Although high school GPA and English proficiency scores predicted performance and motivation for all, preference for engineering over business also predicted males’ performance and motivation. These findings offered a more complex picture of patterns of gender bias, thereby inspiring the implementation of targeted educational interventions to improve females’ motivation for and enrollment in STEM fields, nowadays increasingly available to them, as well as to enhance males’ academic success in non-STEM fields such as business.


2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (11) ◽  
pp. 1336-1355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anselmo Ferreira Vasconcelos

PurposeThis paper aims to answer whether the notion of the gender and leadership stereotypes theory has already reached its boundaries.Design/methodology/approachTo accomplish such a goal, it relies on the extant literature looking for more robust findings, problems, disruptions and pathways toward building a better understanding of this problematic.FindingsThe evidence gleaned throughout this paper suggests that the interplay between gender and leadership stereotypes theory has reached its boundaries. Moreover, the traditional sex stereotype or gender traits approach within companies seems to be highly limited taking into account that it tends to nurture rivalry and prejudice among people of different genders. Rather than focusing on leader sex approach or egalitarian quotas, in terms of leadership role and despite the fair argument of diversity, the author proposes that it is wiser to concentrate on a meritocratic view.Practical implicationsIt suggests that an androgyny leadership style appears to be welcomed in organizations, yet some shift about this understanding may be occurring. At present, however, female aspirants of leadership roles should work increasingly toward adapting themselves to this profile. In doing so, it is likely that they may be benefited from organizational evaluations in which the merit issue constitutes an imperative.Originality/valueOverall, it is expected to contribute to theory by arguing that the traditional understanding of gender and leadership stereotypes theory is not suitable anymore to deal with the uncertainties and complexities that shape today’s business arenas. On the contrary, it argues that such approach tends only to encourage gender bias and to nurture a somewhat sex war game in detriment of organizations efficiency and productivity.


2017 ◽  
Vol 107 (5) ◽  
pp. 150-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nayana Bose ◽  
Shreyasee Das

We analyze the impact of improved land inheritance rights for women in India on female empowerment by examining their educational attainment and the intergenerational effects of the reform. Using a difference-in-differences strategy, we find that the amendment to the Hindu Succession Act significantly increased education of women from landed households by 0.48 years. However, our results indicate a significant decrease in the educational attainment of children, especially boys of treated mothers. We attribute this decrease to treated mothers who are better educated and able to assess the higher opportunity cost of education for boys.


2010 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
pp. 55-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nerina Weiss

AbstractThis article calls for a critical scholarly engagement with women's participation in the Kurdish movement. Since the 1980s, women have appropriated the political sphere in different gender roles, and their activism is mostly seen as a way of empowerment and emancipation. Albeit legitimate, such a claim often fails to account for the social and political control mechanisms inherent in the new political gender roles. This article presents the life stories of four Kurdish women. Although politically active, these women do not necessarily define themselves through their political activity. Thus they do not present their life story according to the party line, but dwell on the different social and political expectations, state violence and the contradicting role models with whom they have to deal on a daily basis. Therefore, the status associated with their roles, especially those of the “new” and emancipated woman, does not necessarily represent their own experiences and subjectivities. Women who openly criticize the social and political constraints by transgressing the boundaries of accepted conduct face social as well as political sanctions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (01) ◽  
pp. A08
Author(s):  
Yuko Ikkatai ◽  
Azusa Minamizaki ◽  
Kei Kano ◽  
Atsushi Inoue ◽  
Euan McKay ◽  
...  

Many studies have examined the impression that the general public has of science and how this can prevent girls from choosing science fields. Using an online questionnaire, we investigated whether the public perception of several academic fields was gender-biased in Japan. First, we found the gender-bias gap in public perceptions was largest in nursing and mechanical engineering. Second, people who have a low level of egalitarian attitudes toward gender roles perceived that nursing was suitable for women. Third, people who have a low level of egalitarian attitudes perceived that many STEM fields are suitable for men. This suggests that gender-biased perceptions toward academic fields can still be found in Japan.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 180
Author(s):  
Camille Anne Bonafe ◽  
Rosemarie Casimiro

The study explores the leadership style of millennial women managers, and their means of defying gender stereotyping and building rapport with their subordinates in the workplace. With the use of qualitative method and intersectionality as framework, the study promotes understanding of the standpoint of millennial women leaders about leadership and all the struggles and challenges in their workplace, fastened onto the notion of leadership as something that subsists at the intersection of the spark and values. Four millennial women managers from the four different divisions of Dr. Paulino J Garcia Memorial Research and Medical Center (Dr. PJGMRMC), a tertiary government hospital in Cabanatuan City in the Philippines namely; Nursing, Medical, Hospital Operation Patient Support Services, and Finance were selected using purposive sampling technique with the following criteria: a) Woman, b) Filipino Millenial (born between year 1981 to 1996), c) With permanent position, and d) Holder of a supervisory/managerial position. One-on-one interviews were conducted with the millennial women managers. Using open-ended questions, participants were asked about their views on leadership, management of staff, experiences in handling conflicts in the workplace, their means of building rapport with the staff and how they defy the gender stereotyping in the workplace to achieve the organizational goals. Participant observation was also employed to have an in-depth and detailed understanding of the situation. Each theme that emerged during the data collection and analysis is presented and supported by existing literatures and the actual data gathered.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 151
Author(s):  
Seetha Nesaratnam ◽  
Tengudzeni Nkosingiphile Mamba ◽  
Jugindar Singh Kartar Singh

In South Africa, women are grossly underrepresented in the Information Technology (IT) sector result of gender stereotyping and discrimination. According to the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) Report (2017), only 21% of executives in the IT sector are women. This has caused high unemployment of women IT graduates. The purpose of this study therefore is to explore and investigate the antecedents that influence and impact the phenomenon of the gender digital divide in South Africa. The study explores new antecedents of the digital gender divide that influences motivation of women to participate in the IT sector. This study used a qualitative approach through in-depth interviews of South African women in the IT sector. The rich volume of data collected was analysed via a thematic analysis. The analysis confirmed existing antecedents gleaned from literature and also uncovered three new dimensions, namely, networking, impartial mentorship and HR as motivators for women in the IT sector. The findings of the study also provides for a better understanding on the barriers that perpetuate the unequal gender gap problem especially in managerial and leadership roles. 


2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (04) ◽  
pp. 238-242
Author(s):  
Katerina Wells ◽  
James W. Fleshman

AbstractThe role of a surgeon is inherently that of a leader and as women become a larger minority in surgical specialties, the next step becomes greater representation of women in positions of surgical leadership. Leadership is a relationship of granting and claiming wherein society must accept that women are deserving of leadership and women must realize their rightfulness to lead. Implicit gender bias undermines this relationship by perpetuating traditional gender norms of women as followers and not as leaders. Though female representation in academia and leadership has increased over the past few decades, this process is unacceptably slow, in part due to manifestations of implicit bias including discrimination within academia, pay inequality, and lack of societal support for childbearing and childcare. The women who have achieved leadership roles are testament to woman's rightfulness to lead and their presence serves to encourage other young professional women that success is possible despite these challenges.


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