Is childcare cost a barrier to women managers' retention and progress at large firms?

PurposeThe impact of childcare cost and childcare responsibilities has generally negatively impacted women in workforce. There has been lack of research on the impact of childcare on women managers in larger US public firms. The purpose of this paper is to determine how childcare costs impact the number of women managers in S&P 500 firms.Design/methodology/approachThe paper employs Driscoll–Kraay panel regression model using childcare data for ten years and the percent of women managers at S&P 500 firms.FindingsThe results show that increase in childcare cost leads to decrease in percent of women in management positions when the child is an infant. Interestingly, but plausibly the results also show that for preschool-age children as the cost of childcare increases, there is an increase in percent of women in management. Furthermore, childcare costs are still an impediment to careers of women managers, specifically when the child is an infant. The effect is much less when the child grows from an infant to preschool age.Research limitations/implicationsOne limitation of this research paper is that the childcare cost data is not directly from the S&P 500 firms. The percent of women management data used is limited to the largest S&P 500 firms. Also, there is no agreement as to definition of a manager at these firms. Moreover, not only childcare cost, but the quality and availability of childcare are factors that also play a role in decision to work and/or use of childcare.Originality/valueThis paper adds to the existing literature by providing evidence that childcare cost impedes women managers' career growth. This finding is more worrisome given that Covid-19 has had a very disproportionate impact on women with child(dren) in the workforce.

Labour Practice, Decent Work and Human Rights Performance and Reporting: The Impact of Women Managers

This paper uses a sample of 1243 international firms for the period 2013–2017 to analyse the effect that a greater presence of women in management teams has on business behaviour in relation to labour and human rights, and the mediating role of improved performance in these rights on corporate transparency. The results show that gender diversity in management teams is positively associated with performance in relation to labour and human rights, and that such a performance acts as a mediating factor by fostering a higher disclosure of information regarding these issues. The findings therefore seem to indicate that the presence of women in management teams acts as a driving force for enhanced social responsibility.

Ding Dong! Avon Calling!

The Avon Lady was a woman who sold cosmetics door-to-door and earned commissions on her sales. In the 1950s, she became famous in a long-running advertising campaign that featured a two-chime doorbell, “Ding Dong!,” followed by the greeting “Avon Calling!” At that time, more than 250,000 women worked as Avon Ladies, and together they represented the largest female direct sales force in the world. Avon began as the California Perfume Company in 1886. Its founder, David McConnell, had sought to provide women with an independent business opportunity largely hoping to soften the seedy reputation of itinerant peddlers. When the company created the Avon brand of cosmetics in the 1930s, changing its name to Avon Products in 1939, it stood as a leader in the direct selling industry and the only company to hire women exclusively as its representatives. This history explores the business of those representatives and the way they were managed. In the second half of the twentieth century, Avon became the largest direct sales company in the United States, spurred by a growing white suburban market. Avon hesitated until the late 1960s to develop recruiting and sales in the African American market, but by the 1970s it was regarded as a leader in affirmative action programs to diversify its workplace and promote women in management. Still, Avon’s executive suite remained a male preserve until Andrea Jung became its first female CEO in 1999. Although Avon closed its doors in 2016, it had earned a solid reputation as a company by women, and for women.

Towards a Model of Muslim Women’s Management Empowerment: Philosophical and Historical Evidence and Critical Approaches

This paper constructs a culturally appropriate model for Muslim women’s empowerment in management and leadership positions that addresses sustainability goals of quality education, gender equality, economic growth and reducing inequalities, as well as national and cultural differences from Western women’s empowerment models. The approach to model building begins with two sources of evidence for women’s empowerment—first, the empowerment of women recognised in the Qur’an and Sunnah, and in the historical-biographical record, particularly in the early Islamic period that draws to some extent on hermeneutics. This is followed by identifying four approaches that can be used in constructing a comprehensive model of Muslim women’s empowerment: Bourdieu’s social, cultural and intellectual capital theory; multiple modernities theory that recognises societal diversity; cultural security arguments for the preservation of cultures; and postcolonial critiques that argue for diversity through decolonising. The main argument of this paper is that sustainability goals cannot be achieved without a model appropriate to the valuational, cultural and societal context in which women are educated and work. The final section of this paper proposes a multidimensional and multilevel model that can be used as a guidance for empowering Muslim women in management and leadership positions. The model construction is based partly on Côté and Levine’s psychosocial cultural model that identifies multiple levels and dimensions of identity, role and social institution construction. This article contributes to the current literature by proposing a theoretical foundation and a multidimensional model that can inform and shape the empowerment of Muslim women in management and leadership positions in different societies.

Gender Stereotypes and Their Impact on Women’s Career Progressions from a Managerial Perspective

Gender stereotypes continue to exist and are transmitted through media, and through social, educational and recreational socialization, which promote gender prejudice and discrimination. This paper argues that contemporary management culture does not critically engage with the social theories of gender studies, which could help in developing gender-neutral affirmative action-oriented managerial perspectives. The paper outlines different aspects of gender stereotyping and their impact on women’s career progressions from a managerial perspective, which engages with the critical theories of gender studies. The paper contributes to existing literature by identifying the antecedents of gender stereotypes and their impacts on the career progressions of women in management. It advances theoretical understanding of three clear conceptual shifts, that is, (a) Women in Management, (b) Women and Management and (c) Gender and Management. The theoretical transition from Women in Management to Women and Management led to progressive conceptual shifts in management literature but gender stereotypes continue to exist in society.