4.

1 Success factors and implications

The economic and institutional critical success factors for women leadership in the
workplace in China
The economic reform in China in the last two decades created business expansion for most of the
organizations in the country.

Different organizations stakeholders expected corresponding

favorable conditions for women participation both in the leadership and subordinate positions
(Williams & Chen, 2014). Broadening access of women to economic opportunity has reduced
male-female disparity in the economic productivity and earnings thus advancing women
leadership in various organizations in China.

Remedies including freeing up of female

employees time to enable them work way from their homes through activities such as
subsidized child care, improvement of women to credit access as well as ensuring access to
efficient and productive resources motivate women to go for leadership positions in their
workplaces. Addressing lack of information relating to the productivity of women in their
workplaces

and elimination of the institutional biases against female leaders through

introduction of favorable quotas to women as well as job placement programs for women have
greatly opened up many women working in various organizations across China (West et al.
2012). However, the setup of the various institutions in the country translated opposite and
varying daily practices have captured the realties concerning the representation and participation
of women in leadership in their work places. The numerous institutional and economic factors
mixture inclusive of womens traditional patriarchal stereotyping, political culture , females
lower average educational levels, inadequate state intervention, institutional procedures and
norms, labor

and

responsibilities gendered

division

and male centered-social and

organizational practices have strongly affected the development of women leadership in their

workplaces in China (Kuntz et al. 2013). With most of the factors culturally and historically
resulting from the Chinese community entrenchment, the role of women in leadership in the
country remains a subtle form.
Institutions and markets are useful in determining the constraints faced by different women,
incentives and preferences of female employees and their corresponding significance in the
organizations across the China. For this reason, China embraces informal and formal institutions
interaction as well as the interaction between markets and the household decision making
institutions with the aim of determining gender-related outcomes (Liu, Wei & Xie, 2014). This
has proved to be a motivation aspect for women to pursue careers and positions equally to male
employees. This interaction framework help in showing economic growth influenced by gender
outcomes especially women thus greatly influencing the manner in which the Chinese
organizations and institutions make decisions on the organizational leadership. Higher education
enrollment by the Chinese women played a major role in successful leadership in their places of
work. This has resulted to income growth through budget constraints loosening on their families
and homes as well as in the public treasury and as a result it has created links to new
employment opportunities (Wang, Tee & Ahmed, 2012). Similarly successful women leadership
resulting from education and training has led to increased and expansion of schools intended to
educate young women and girls in the country. Reduced corruption on women employment
schemes in various organizations in China has incredibly resulted to successful women
leadership in their places of work.

This has consequently reduced gender gaps during

recruitment processes and promotions.

What needs to be done to develop Women Leaders in the Context of China

To develop women leaders in their places of work, gender equality is key alongside the discussed
economic and institutional factors. Policy implications involving different policy ,makers within
different organizations need to fully focus their actions on priorities such as, women mortality
reduction, elimination of the still operating gender disadvantages especially in higher education,
economic opportunity access increment for women resulting to increased productivity and
earnings, giving female employees equal voice in the organization and the society at large and
also limiting the gender inequality transmission across generations in China (Chen et al. 2014).
Reducing excess mortality among women is necessary as it focuses on the underlying impact of
women leadership in their places of work at each age. Health care improvement for women
especially the expectant mothers is a good way of developing women and promoting their
participation in their work places. Shrinking education gaps between male and female employees
could promote women leadership in their places of work as they can effectively enroll for equal
courses and positions with men. In some corporate settings,

leadership and management

positions are given to employees who have pursued certain courses thus locking out others who
may not have studied those courses especially women (Walker, Hu & Qian, 2012). Most women
assume these courses are hard to pursue and therefore end up going for simpler courses thus
restricting them from obtaining the targeted leadership positions.
Therefore, in order to develop women leaders in their work places, the Chinese organizations
need to put in place simpler eligibility pools as well as favorable quotas to women to enable
them gain superiority in their positions. Further, women need to be educated on leadership
matters to open up their minds in understanding that leadership roles are meant for both men and
women (Morley, 2014). Further, diminishing gender differences in Chinese organizations
addresses he combined beliefs and social norms influence, womens education, legal framework

as well as the access to economic opportunities by female employees in their work places.
Measures to increase the control of female leaders over the laws enhance their ability to assess
accumulation particularly through their rights strengthening. The Chinese organizations ought to
introduce laws and reforms aimed at strengthening womens work rights by equalizing male and
female rights rather than giving one gender a greater voice than the other especially by
expanding the involvement of women in trade, training and educating women on leadership as
well as in political representation quotas (Cheung & Halpern, 2010). While so many remains
undone and yet to be done, the business environment and organizations are gradually changing
through the recognition of the importance of gender equality to both men and women. Most of
the organizations are continually recognizing the economic and institutional benefits of
embracing women leaders in their work places thus resulting to closure of the operating gender
gaps in various organizations. Generally, men still dominate in leadership positions in their work
places but the situation of women has undergone some improvement following the discussed
economic and institutional factors. Equal leadership positions and cooperation between male and
female leaders result improved performance and productivity within an organization.
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