Posted: July 25th, 2024

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For this assignment, you will select one of the following assignment options:

Option A

Interview a female who has been or is currently in a management or leadership position in the workforce. This person may be a friend or family member. Include a copy of the list of questions that you asked her.

Option B

Conduct research to locate published interviews or presentation videos from a past or current female business leader. She may be a leader in any industry.

Once you have selected Option A or Option B, you will write a paper that addresses the following:

· Provide an introduction that describes her leadership position in business. Summarize her work experience.

· What does she say about concepts such as the pay gap and the glass ceiling?

· What does she say about gender stereotypes?

· What does she say about gender expectations?

· What challenges did she face as it relates directly to inequality? How did she overcome such challenges?

· Conclude your paper with a summary of the advice that she gives to other females who are striving to become future business leaders.

Your interview findings should be a minimum of two pages in length.

If outside sources are used, please adhere to APA Style when creating citations and references for this assignment. APA formatting, however, is not necessary.

MGT 6306, Intercultural Management 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit IV

Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

4. Examine diversity experiences within the workplace.
4.1 Discuss gender stereotypes.
4.2 Discuss gender expectations.
4.3 Discuss inequality in the workplace.

Course/Unit

Learning Outcomes

Learning Activity

4.1, 4.2, 4.3

Unit Lesson

Chapter 6
Unit IV Assignment

Required Unit Resources

Chapter 6: Gender in Organizations

Unit Lesson

Introduction

Our focus for this unit is gender in organizations, which is a primary dimension of diversity with special
emphasis on the role women have in the workplace. This will include progress made by women in addressing
gender inequality, achieving leadership roles, and being recognized and appreciated in the workplace. Most
often, women are not given the opportunity to exercise their thoughts and expertise even though women
leaders played remarkable roles that shaped the world according to history. From Egypt’s Cleopatra (1st
century BC), Joan of Arc (France, 15th century) to the United Kingdom’s Queen Victoria (19th century), the
list is endless (Nahavandi, 2022). In March 2021, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, became the seventh Director General
of the World Trade Organization and the first female and first African to hold this position (WTO, n.d.). All over
the globe women have continued to be heavily involved in shaping the society. There have been quite a few
female chief executive officers (CEOs), but not enough considering the level of education and experience
women have to offer in society and the community at large.

Women in the Workforce

Irrespective of the fact that women make up a large percentage of the workforce, at least 50% and up 60% in
some regions, gender disparity still exists (Nahavandi, 2022). Studies show that though women are not
recognized at the same level as their male counterparts. This is known as the first person account. Most
women in leadership have experienced this first person account many times to the point of beginning to doubt
their own cognitive ability and expertise. If you look around you in a corporate environment, you may notice
that attention and acknowledgment is given based on physical appearance which could also infer that a male
is in a higher position than the female. For example, if a male and female colleague walk into a meeting with
the man dressed in a complete suit and the woman in a skirt and a top, the woman may be mistaken as the
man’s assistant even if the woman is the boss.

Though women have continued to attain high educational levels and strive for recognition, the data on women
at the leadership position in all sectors is anything but encouraging. This is depicted on Table 6.2, “Women in
Management and Leadership Positions.” What is even more alarming is that as of January 2020 there was
only one female CEO of color among Fortune 500 companies. Women are more inclined to suffer the

UNIT IV STUDY GUIDE
Gender in
Organizations

MGT 6306, Intercultural Management 2

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title

consequences should they fall short in their performance in leadership roles by immediately being replaced by
men (Cook & Glass, 2013).

McGregor and Siegel (2018) addressed the fact that even though women are seen as having a lot to take
care of in the home front, they should be afforded the opportunity to also lead an organization. Such an
opportunity should not simply be the stereotypical roles that only entail solving problems or the ones that are
associated with high risk of failure (Ryan & Haslam, 2007).

Another disparity is related to the difference in pay between men and women. The Equal Pay Act of 1963,
which is enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, “prohibits sex-based wage
discrimination between men and women in the same establishment who perform jobs that require
substantially equal skill, effort and responsibility under similar working conditions.” (U.S. Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission, n.d.). The issue of pay gap is also broken down in Table 6.3 “U.S. Pay Gap Quick
Facts” according to race, ethnicity, and age of women.

More information on the global pay gap is depicted in Table 6.4 “Global Pay Gap: Quick Facts.” The issues of
glass ceiling and glass cliff are still evident in organizations today. The glass ceiling prevents women or
underrepresented groups from reaching higher positions within an organization. One wonders if the glass
ceiling will ever be shattered, which will allow more women to advance to leadership roles without prejudice.
The glass cliff allows women and underrepresented groups to gain the higher-level positions which tend to
have a higher risk of failing.

Gender Stereotypes

Women typically have been the homemakers, raising kids and keeping the home front in order. In the past,
fewer occupational choices were available to women due to factors such as stereotypical thoughts, sexism,
discrimination, and limited education accessibility for women (Domenico & Jones, 2007). If we look at a
country like the United States for example, during World War II and other previous wars, women stayed home
to take care of the children and homes. Women seldom had an opportunity to receive an education and
therefore could not seek a career. In their article on “Insights On Engineering as a Non-Traditional Career
Field for Women,” Ismail, et. al. (2017) stated that a report published in 2016 by the Society of Women
Engineers, stated that the University of Missouri began enrolling female students in its college of education in
1867 to study teaching, but they were not allowed to enroll in all academic programs until 1871.

Women, because of limited education, were not afforded the same opportunity as men to pursue a profession
of their choice (Domenico & Jones, 2007). A lot has still not changed today. For example, the science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics programs (STEM) should include women, but research has shown
that women face barriers to pursue to engineering-based professions (Steele et al., 2007). The reason is that
society still does not fully accept women in these fields, especially engineering.

(Jin Kang, n.d.)

MGT 6306, Intercultural Management 3

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
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As depicted in Figure 6.5 “The Gender Double Bind,” the double bind refers to an impossible situation where
no matter what women do, they are not considered leadership material. Different styles of leadership between
men and women could also widen this disparity. While women are seen to be more cooperative and team-
oriented, men are more focused on profits and expansion. It is also a given that without the same exposure
and experience, women will not be eligible for leadership roles (Dishman, 2017).

Other factors, including workplace discrimination and sexual harassment affect women in the workplace.
These are not limited to women alone because both sexes could be subjected to these unacceptable
treatments; however, studies show that women are more prone to experience these than men. Graf (2018)
stated that a report from Pew Research Center indicates that 59% of women compared to 27% of men have
been victims of some form of sexual harassment. The impact could be devastating to the victims, which will
ultimately affect their performance.

As we talk about gender stereotypes, we should also address the new pronouns (he/she versus they/them) as
they relate to the new workforce gender identification. There is a difference between gender identity and
gender expression that many people may not be aware of. Mendes (2021) explained that while gender
identity refers to someone’s internal sense of their gender, gender expression refers to the ways in which a
person presents themselves through their appearance such as through their clothing, hair, name, pronouns,
or other similar characters. We are meant to understand that appearance does not always depict the gender
that someone identifies with, hence the use of he/him for those that identify as male and she/her for those that
identify as female. Also, those that identify as non-binary or gender nonconforming tend to use they/them.
Creating a workplace where the focus would be on the talent and expertise of the workforce is highly
encouraged rather than making judgements on the look and expression. What we also should understand is
that people may suffer gender dysphoria because their expression of themselves does not align with the
gender with which they are born. Such a feeling may lead to low esteem, which may affect their productivity
and well-being at the workplace.

Conclusion

With more women in the workforce today, the percentage of women in leadership is not encouraging. Women
are not being accorded the same opportunity as men to pursue any career of their choice. Organizations
should endeavor to not only address aspects of gender parity but also to provide strategies to do so. Such
strategies should not include offering women risky positions without support that will lead to failure. In a case
of difficult leadership roles, it is expected that adequate cooperation and assistance would be offered.

A recent study by Carroll et. al. (2021) shows that women are joining nontraditional areas such as the
turfgrass industry and have maintained excellent leadership roles in those industries. This is an unlikely place
to expect a female to thrive, which shows that, given the opportunity, women can perform highly in any
industry. Another area is to ensure fair and equitable compensation for all in the same position, regardless of
gender, which has continued to be a big problem in all industries. Our course textbook presents a lot of
research addressing the pay gap. Since women have continued to receive an education and advance in all
manner of professions and businesses, it is time for organizations to accord women the opportunity to join top
management.

References

Carroll, D. E., Stephens, C. A., Stripling, C. T., Sorochan, J. C. & Brosnan, J. T. (2021). Women in turf: A

qualitative study examining how women have sustained their leadership role in the turfgrass industry.
Journal of Agricultural Education. 62(4), 139–158.

Cook, A., & Glass, C. (2013). Above the glass ceiling: When are women and racial/ethnic minorities promoted

to CEO? Strategic Management Journal, 35, 1080–1089.

Dishman, L. (2017, August 3). The hidden gender gap among MBA graduates. Fast Company.

https://www.fastcompany.com/40447757/the-hidden-gender-gap-among-mba-graduates

https://www.fastcompany.com/40447757/the-hidden-gender-gap-among-mba-graduates

MGT 6306, Intercultural Management 4

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title

Domenico, D. M., & Jones, K. H. (2006, Fall). Career aspirations of women in the 20th century. Journal of
Career and Technical Education, 22(2). https://ejournals.lib.vt.edu/JCTE/article/view/430/573

Graf, N. (2018, April 4). Sexual harassment at work in the era of #MeToo. Pew Research Center

https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2018/04/04/sexual-harassment-at-work-in-the-era-of-metoo/.

Ismail, M., Zulkifli, N., & Hamzah, S. R. (2017). Insights on engineering as a non-traditional career field for

women. Global Business and Management Research: An International Journal 9(4), 17–36.

Jin Kang, H. (n.d.). The concept of the gender pay gap. (ID 198886985) [Photograph]. Dreamstime.com.

https://www.dreamstime.com/miniature-man-miniature-woman-standing-top-pile-coins-concept-
gender-pay-gap-concept-gender-image198886985

McGregor, J., & Siegel, R. (2018, August 9). Why there are still so few minority women CEOs. The

Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2018/08/09/why-there-are-still-so-few-
minority-women-ceos/.

Mendes, O. (2021). Gender-neutral pronouns: They are here to stay. Seton Hall Law Review 52(1), 317–346.

Nahavandi, A. (2022). The cultural mindset: Managing people across cultures. SAGE.

Ryan, M. K., & Haslam, S. A. (2007, April 1). The glass cliff: Exploring the dynamics surrounding the

appointment of women to precarious leadership positions. Academy of Management Review, 32(2),
549–572. doi:10.5465/amr.2007.24351856

Steele, J. R., Reisz, L., Williams, A., & Kawakami, K. (2007. July 26). Women in mathematics: Examining the

hidden barriers that gender stereotypes can impose. In R. J. Burke, & M. C. Mattis (Eds.). Women
and minorities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics: Upping the numbers (pp. 159–
183). Edward Elgar Publishing.

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (n.d.) The Equal Pay Act of 1963.

https://www.eeoc.gov/statutes/equal-pay-act-1963

World Trade Organization. (n.d.). WTO Director-General: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/dg_e/dg_e.htm

Suggested Unit Resources

In order to access the following resources, click the links below.

These videos present more information about the positive impact of gender equality in organizations.

The transcript for these videos can be found by clicking the “Transcript” tab to the right of the video in the
Films on Demand database.

CINEFETE (Producer). (2016). Gender equality in Iceland (Segment 1 of 7) [Video]. In Gender equality, a

corporate performance driver. Films on Demand.
https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?auth=CAS&url=https://fod.infobase.com/PortalPl
aylists.aspx?wID=273866&xtid=150149&loid=499378

CINEFETE (Producer). (2016). Powerful women and barriers to success (Segment 5 of 7) [Video]. In Gender

equality, a corporate performance driver. Films on Demand.
https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?auth=CAS&url=https://fod.infobase.com/PortalPl
aylists.aspx?wID=273866&xtid=150149&loid=499382

https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?auth=CAS&url=https://fod.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=273866&xtid=150149&loid=499378

https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?auth=CAS&url=https://fod.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=273866&xtid=150149&loid=499382

MGT 6306, Intercultural Management 5

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title

CINEFETE (Producer). (2016). Mentoring for women’s careers (Segment 6 of 7) [Video]. In Gender equality,
a corporate performance driver. Films on Demand.
https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?auth=CAS&url=https://fod.infobase.com/PortalPl
aylists.aspx?wID=273866&xtid=150149&loid=499383

Learning Activities (Nongraded)

Nongraded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in their course of study. You do not have to submit
them. If you have questions, contact your instructor for further guidance and information.

Read the case study “How Do I get Back on Track” in Chapter 6 of your textbook. Using a personal journal,
write your responses to the five questions about Elena and Keith.

https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?auth=CAS&url=https://fod.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=273866&xtid=150149&loid=499383

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit IV

Learning Activity

Required Unit Resources

Unit Lesson

Introduction

Women in the Workforce

Gender Stereotypes

Conclusion

References

Suggested Unit Resources

Learning Activities (Nongraded)