Running head: GENDER ROLES AND ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR

Gender Roles and Organizational Behavior

Anuradha Srinivasan
anuradha.srinivasan@icci.edu.ky
International College of the Cayman Islands

Organizational Behavior | GR501 | Fall 2016

GENDER ROLES AND ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR

Abstract
This paper attempts to review and discuss the literature that analyzes the gender roles, and
gender parity that exists in the organization, especially in leadership and top management. In
addition to that, it also tries to compare and contrast the discrimination issues that exist in the
Silicon Valley and in the Cayman Islands, given that these two regions have completely different
dominant industries, with the Silicon Valley being the center of the information and technology
sector, and the Cayman Islands being a leading financial hub. Both these industries have different
organizational culture and behavior. The paper also includes the trip to San Francisco and how
the experience helped shaped the parameters of analysis of the paper. The other issues that feed
into gender roles including national culture, stereotypes, perception and organizational behavior
are also analyzed and discussed. Interviews with top executives and managers both in the
Cayman Islands and in the Silicon Valley helped understand the gender issues about both
regions. It also discusses the limitations of implementing equality in gender roles in the
organization as well as solutions that could help achieve gender equality in the organization,
especially about leadership roles and top management.
Keywords: management, leadership, organizational behavior, gender, stereotypes, Cayman
Islands, Silicon Valley

GENDER ROLES AND ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR

Introduction
Worldwide, more and more women are joining the workforce. Hence organizations all
over the world have been faced with an unparalleled increase in ethnic, national and gender
diversity. A law of supply and demand also works here, that is, as there is an increase in the
number of women with the experience and education for management roles, there is a
proportional increase of such jobs for them. Organizations are therefore trying to modify their
notions and expectations of gender roles, and trying to break stereotypes. Many analysts and
researchers advise that organizations should value a variety in leadership roles and styles to be
truly diverse.
Management is a much more complex activity at its initial inception. A manager, by
definition, is a person who runs or controls an organization. It implies that the manager is an
expert in the organization of the business. The character traits required of managers are intellect,
ethics, morals, stability, and knowledge. Research show that more than fifty percent of
respondents of both genders chose a man for a manager, even though there is no proven research
that gender has anything to do with their abilities. Only twenty percent of the respondents said
that the managers gender did not matter. This proves that women managers are more unwelcome
among both male and female employees because it is even now difficult to break the tradition
that the role of a manager is meant for a man. A group of sexist, male respondents believes that
women are less able and less smart than men, and women didnt want other women to be
managers because they believed that women could be petty and hysteric. Of course, positive
characteristics of women have also mentioned: flexibility, honesty, cooperation and empathy
(Vuksanovi, 2012).

GENDER ROLES AND ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR

Literature Review
The many qualities that are expected of managers include personal characteristics of the
manager itself, characteristics of the managers subordinates, and environmental characteristics.
Personal characteristics of managers include intelligence, ability, and problem-solving
capabilities. Managers require morality, ethics, and honesty as well. Interpersonal
communication skills are especially essential for managers, which helps in the resolution of
conflicts, active listening, and negotiations. The other preferred characteristics include flexibility,
kindness, courtesy, punctuality, empathy, and determination. There is not a single research
evidence that demographics or gender is an essential characteristic of a manager, however, from
practical experience, this seems to be one of the major influences of the selection process
(Vuksanovi, 2012).
Table 1
Gender roles survey
Gender
Age

Marital

Preference in

Percentage

Male

Under 30

Status
Married

Male

Over 30

Married

Male

Under 30

Unmarrie

Over 30

d
Unmarrie

Under 30

d
Married

managers gender
Male
Female
Either
Male
Female
Either
Male
Female
Either
Male
Female
Either
Male
Female

33.33
33.33
33.33
50%
20%
30%
66.66%
33.33%
0
0
100%
0
0
100%

Male
Female

GENDER ROLES AND ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR

Female

Over 30

Married

Female

Under 30

Unmarrie

Female

Over 30

d
Unmarrie
d

Either
Male
Female
Either
Male
Female
Either
Male
Female
Either

5
0
58%
8%
34%
37.5%
25%
37.5%
100%
0
0

Notes: (Vuksanovi, 2012)

The respondents of the survey were also asked to give an explanation to justify their
answers. The common responses by male respondents who voted men include: women are not
capable, traditionally a man is hired as a manager, men are more responsible than women,
women are too arduous, men understand other men better, etc. Male respondents who voted
women said: women are less strict, women are more capable, women are more flexible and
empathetic, etc. Male respondents who voted neutral replied: gender isnt important, it is more
important that the manager is an expert, gender doesnt matter as long as work is done well.
Women respondents had different responses. Female respondents who voted men said: men are
less negative in comparison, women are not harmonious, a man should make all the decisions,
women are evil, women should not have power, men are less complicated, men do not gossip,
etc. Female respondents who voted women said: women are more honest and reasonable,
women empathize with other women, etc. Female respondents who were neutral gave reasons
such as good communication is the most important, person should be capable, persons gender
isnt as important as that they should be capable, and so forth. It can thus be seen the choice of
various respondents and their justification of their choice (Vuksanovi, 2012).
Social construct usually challenges reality in most cases. It rejects the notion that truth is
a result of all inherent characteristics of a series of events. Dialogues are results of social

GENDER ROLES AND ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR

constructs and negotiations. Hence, the meaning of being a woman cannot be narrated off the
biology or nature of women, although they will feed into this construct. The crucial point is that
the societys knowledge of women is always contradictory, owing to the social construct of
trying to place women in particular categories to fit particular necessities. For instance,
patriarchy often builds constructs such as women belong in the house, having kids, and
performing domestic chores. Feminist constructs are different, arguing against patriarchy, and
repeating that women should have equal rights, be able to choose not to marry or have kids. In
this case, the dialogue is never neutral, changing with history and culture over time. This analysis
and dialogues have altered womens identities and assured them that are aspirations beyond
marriage and family. Such discourses helped bring forth a change in social constructs, such as
equal opportunities for women, change in the legislature, and more. Social construct, most times,
provides an identity of gender roles, for example, in certain countries, the necessity for a woman
to prioritize her family over and above any other aspiration. If a new mother then enters the labor
force, she is in violation of certain societal norms that may elicit judgment from the society. This
might cause insecurity in women, and they might expect more of themselves, working harder to
balance home life and work. However, this might not be universal. Acceptance or resistance of
social constructs depends on the individuals mindset (Fernandez & Campero, 2016).
In their opinion, the authors say glass ceiling is a form of vertical gender segregation,
which includes internal processes such as promotion, as well as external processes such as
recruitment. This is especially true for young organizations, such as tech startups, because they
are actively recruiting at all levels of the organization, which depart from the well-established
model of the internal labor market. Such simple insights are key for establishing organizational
policy that targets gender discrimination. While internal promotion policies are controlled by

GENDER ROLES AND ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR

various departments and supervisors, external hiring policies are directed by HR professionals
who are much more aware of gender parity. Hence this would yield much better results towards
shattering the glass ceiling (Fernandez & Campero, 2016).
The lack of women represented in management is not exactly a new development in
global business. The table shows a few countries followed by the percentage of women in top
management in each of those countries.
Table 2
Women in labor force and management
Country
Germany
Australia
Japan
Brazil
U.S.A.
Notes: Stelter, N. (2002)

Women in labor force

54%
59%
49%

Women in top management

31%
22%
7%

59%
56%

23%
20%

In the year of 1997, there were only two female CEOs of the Fortune 500 companies. As
of 2015, there are 23. Historically as the corporate demographics continue to lower the gender
gap, the compensation gap between genders is also reducing. The reason for this gap existing in
the first place has been attributed by researchers to glass ceiling,' the social construct which
hopes to undermine the attempts women have made to gain management roles. Traditionally
management has been a male-oriented task, and women have had to fight to fit in. The other
reasons for the gap might be stereotypes, bias, culture and perception. Organizational policies
also affect gender equality, including promotion, retention, and hiring. Women have had to face
difficulty because it isnt simply enough that they have the necessary skills and knowledge to be
in management positions, but they also need to convince others in the organization of their skills.
This means that at times, a woman manager is forced to act in an aggressive and authoritative

GENDER ROLES AND ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR

manner so she might be taken more seriously. An ethical argument can also be made against the
exclusion of women in management. However, the peer pressure to conform to the behavioral
norms set by the male-dominant management could hinder the progress to reduce gender parity
(Stelter, 2002).
Most times, women face disadvantages during negotiations due to gender stereotypes.
According to the stereotype content model, there is a two-dimensional construct for social
groups: competence and warmth. Women are considered to have low competence but are high in
warmth, and for men, it is the exact opposite. Gender stereotype studies show that women are
more collective while men are ambitious, and such stereotypes could be explanatory or
regulatory. These stereotypes make it particularly difficult for women to participate in
negotiations because these characteristics align perfectly with effective or ineffective
negotiations. Effective negotiators are determined to have competence and assertiveness, while
ineffective ones are weak and warm. However, there are more complex models at play here. For
example, a female manager who was self-confident and assertive was considered having less
social skills than a male manager who behaved that way. Such perceptions cause a bigger
widening in the gender parity issue. When considering male and female applicants, who are
competent and confident, for a single position, it has been shown that perceptions shift away
toward social skills to avoid hiring the female. Furthermore, this is also reflected in lower wages
and organizational rewards, especially when women engage in what is perceived as genderdiscordant behavior, which could range from self-promotion to authoritativeness. Also, a woman
who negotiates for her compensation is perceived as less nice, and recruiters are hesitant in
hiring them (Kulik & Olekalns, 2011).
While stereotypes exist for both genders, research shows that the cost of infringing such

GENDER ROLES AND ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR

stereotypes vary for men and women. Sometimes men who exhibit behavior outside the gender
norms may gain approval, but women usually face backlash and criticism. Women are usually
aware of this, and they try to avoid this as much as possible. Being accommodative and quiet
during negotiations usually protects women from adverse results and backlash (Kulik &
Olekalns, 2011).
The theory of Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB) is defined as the behavior that
is discrete, is not directly rewarded, but promotes the smooth functioning of the organization.
Contributions of employees enhance the psyche of the entire organization and improve
performance in general. Examples may include mentoring a new employee, assisting a colleague
to finish his project, etc. Casting aside the exact definition, OCB has been accepted as a
multidimensional aspect by all researchers, including dimensions such as benevolence, sincerity,
honorableness, courteousness, and virtuous. Researchers have included obedience, loyalty, and
participation as dimensions of OCB as well. As with all objective theories, the OCB dimensions
also have gender implications. Through time, language and dialog have always supported the
interests of dominant groups of the organization, in this case, men, while suppressing the
interests of the other groups. The dimensions of benevolence and diligence involve helping
others. Such helping behavior is usually associated with the female gender, who are perceived to
care about others welfare. The other three dimensions are masculine. Men are therefore
perceived as more assertive than their female counterparts. It is essential to note that the different
dimensions used to measure OCB have different implications for men and women in the
workplace. The dynamics of the OCB theory eventually contribute to the power roles between
genders, and thus it leads to the decrease in value of womens contribution to the organization
(Kark, Waismel-Manor, 2005).

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Organizational Behavior
The purpose of this analysis is to see if gender parity prevails in the businesses of the
Cayman Islands and the Silicon Valley. There are many real world examples of discrimination
against women. This includes women who hold the same position receiving different pay, forcing
a woman to quit because she is pregnant, asking female job applicants about their future family
life during the interview, asking gender discriminatory questions during the interview, sexual
harassment in the workplace, passing women for promotion because of their familial
circumstances, networking events outside the office that exclude women and gender stereotypes
that enable recruiters to decide a particular gender isnt suitable for a job (Gender Equality,
2016).
In recent times, the research to understand how organizational culture addresses this
latent inequality. The motivation of such research is usually to figure out how organizational
rules can bring about gender parity. The research also attempts to offer a new perspective on
glass ceiling, which is the process by which women disappear through the various levels of the
organization. Only recent researchers have been examining the proportion of women employees
in leadership roles; previous researchers have analyzed only internal promotion, never top
management. The authors argue that such limited intentions could distract researchers from the
existing issues. For example, if the entire technology industry is stratified by gender, then
analyzing internal promotion issues in one firm will lead researchers nowhere. The authors try to
counteract this effect by analyzing external hiring processes, which might give them a pattern of
the industrys contribution to the glass ceiling problem (Stelter, 2002).
The current business climate is one of globalization, and national boundaries cease to

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exist. However, national cultural contrasts still exist. This means that irrespective of gender,
managers should play their strengths to reach the necessary outcome. Hofstedes national culture
factors, especially masculinity, indicates some countries hold a competition, and material
possessions as factors of success, while other countries value solidarity, sympathy, and
understanding as their primary factors. Hence management and leadership styles vary not only
by gender but also because of national culture. In masculine cultures, the stereotypes and biases
might evince and lower the percentage of women in leadership positions. It has been established
that national culture has a major effect on leadership styles. Therefore, cultural expectations
bleed into leadership expectations especially when it comes to gender parity. The differences in
masculine and feminine leadership styles might have had to do with biology and could be
effected to social and cultural constructs (Stelter, 2002).

The San Francisco Experience

In the world of technology, just like any other industry is affected by gender parity.
According to an National Public Radio (NPR) report, only about twenty percent of the American
software programmers are women, and the percentage of women in STEM courses is on the
decline. Most times, though, gender disparity is not this obvious and works in subtle ways. Being
a male dominated field, the norms and societal culture are defined by men (Metz, 2016).
As a part of our San Francisco seminar, we visited the Google offices in Mountain View,
California. Joe DeMike, Head of Global Business Operations spoke to us regarding Googles
innovative culture. While I spoke to him after the lecture, he mentioned that women are still a
minority at Google. However, this is not because of Googles organizational policy or culture,
but because there is a lack of talent in the tech industry, as not many women want to go into

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12

STEM studies. He also confirmed that Google measures its gender equality data, and publishes
this information every year (J. DeMike, personal communication, November 10, 2016).
I was able to find this graph on the Google website, which highlights their gender parity data.
Figure 1 shows the data with respect to gender and ethnicity in employees of Google.

Figure 1: Gender Data from Google, (Google, 2016)

The following figure, Figure 2, shows how Google has moved forward in the hiring and
promotion practices with respect to diversity in 2015.

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Figure 2: Gender Data Change Percentage from Google, (Google, 2016)

Gender balance and equality have become a huge business opportunity, with economic
and social consequences. Firms who have a more gender-balanced top management report higher
profits and ROE. Hence CEOs in the Silicon Valley now want to tap into this market, trying to
sell the idea of a gender balanced employee base. Gender parity is an emotional topic for both
men and women, and leaders should understand the issue and basic reasons for it, to lead the
change (Wittenberg-Cox, 2016).
Silicon Valley companies have to work doubly hard to fix the underrepresentation of
women, not only in their organization but also in the tech industry in general. Most companies
like Google, as confirmed by Mr. DeMike are working on increasing the number of women
opting to study STEM in high schools and colleges. Mr. DeMike asserted that there arent
enough qualified software engineers and coders in the industry and this could be fixed only by
fixing the pipeline (J. DeMike, personal communication, November 10, 2016). However, it
should also be noted that it is essential for companies to retain female employees because
research shows that women in STEM fields have a dramatic attrition rate than any other industry.

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This is especially true for senior technology professionals, who think that they are unlikely to
advance from their current position, because of the glass ceiling. It is, therefore, essential,
especially in STEM fields, to make sure that men and women receive similar kind of visibility
within the firm. Research and data have continually proven that in tech firms and high-tech
companies, women are less likely to be promoted than men. While the basic factors like skill,
technical expertise, and leadership qualities are essential to be promoted within a tech firm, the
other major factor that many managers identify is visibility. Even during routine practices such
as performance ratings, which are the basis for promotions and pay raises, research has shown
that women are constantly at a disadvantage, especially on visibility, thereby limiting them and
reducing their opportunities, eventually causing attrition (Correll & Mackenzie, 2016).
The issue of visibility starts at the very basis because women are often not chosen to
work on high-visibility technical projects. Also during performance reviews, researchers have
noted that similar kind of assertive leadership behavior elicited a different kind of reviews for
men (crushes it, kills it) than women (she is uncompromising, runs over people). As seen
in the literature review section, women are mostly seen as possessing a collaborative style, which
by definition is less visible, and brought about comments like conflict-averse, limited etc.
Hence women are in a bind: if they are assertive they are less-liked, and if they are collaborative,
they are limited (Correll & Mackenzie, 2016).
This issue can be addressed by mentorship programs and working on skills and visibility
for women. Mr. DeMike confirmed that Google has mentorship programs, as well as other
initiatives such as peer-bonus where any employees, could reward cash bonuses to their peers,
if they have assisted them or performed excellently (J. DeMike, personal communication,

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November 10, 2016). This ties back to the literary review and the OCB model, which defined
OCB as benevolent behavior that goes unrewarded. With initiatives like peer bonus, Google is
changing the basic definitions of management concepts. In other tech firms, research has shown
that women are usually left out of big assignments where managers tend to justify their actions
by blaming the woman in question that she cannot put in the extra hours needed because she has
familial responsibilities. A lot of characteristics that are seen as assets in men such as
assertiveness and confidence are seen as liabilities in women, deeming them too aggressive and
undesirable. Such difference in standards makes it impossible to even discuss parity in the
organization. Men also tend to network better with their bosses, as they are able to grab a drink
after work, or play a golf or a poker game, which further increases their visibility. Women are
rarely invited to such after-work, networking clubs, hence are further disadvantaged (Correll &
Mackenzie, 2016).
I conducted an email interview with Ms. Narasimhan, who is a manager in a high-tech
firm in Silicon Valley. She asserted that, in this day and age, all adults need to contribute to the
workforce, be it was economic stability or for career advancement. Hence it becomes paramount
that organizations treat everyone equally, irrespective of gender, race, sexual orientation or any
other attributes. By empowering women, and enabling them to achieve their potential, firms are
not only reaping benefits themselves but also contributing to a stronger national economy. Her
thoughts about gender equality extending beyond compensation are supported by research, as
seen in the literature review section. It goes toward productivity, visibility, career advancement
and many more tangible criteria for women in the workforce. She said that as her career in the
Silicon Valley advanced over the years, there is a definite shift in organizations approach toward
gender discrimination, which can be seen by initiatives such as Women in Leadership. It takes

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around fifteen years of education and training to get women into management in STEM jobs, but
because they arent given enough support and encouragement when they are young mothers. A
partially paid sabbatical during child birth might ensure that these well-qualified women dont
drop out of the technology companies because their priorities are fragmented. Such sabbatical
options will ensure loyalty and an ROI to the firm as well. She agreed with the research
regarding compensation agreed that there should be equal pay for equal work. Glass ceiling
issues in the workplace may be addressed by active initiatives to encourage women in tech
leadership positions. She strongly believes that Silicon Valley is actively working on drawing
women into the technology workforce, especially into management roles (N. Narasimhan,
personal communication, December 2, 2016).

Application of the Learning

As seen from the literature analysis above we need to figure out ways in which we can
combat gender inequality. First and foremost, CEOs need to comprehend the big picture. They
need to understand why gender equality is important to the organization and why the entire firm
has to stand behind that policy. Next, they should measure the gender equality, and know how
imbalanced the organization is. They need to understand what is causing gender parity:
promotion, retention or hiring. There are many firms that try and solve the problem without
analyzing the underlying cause of the issue. CEOs should also understand the differences
between stereotypes and the actual issues. This may be achieved by training in gender-related
issues. Many CEOs proudly declare that they are gender blind when what they need to be is
gender bilingual, and understand different genders and build bridges. Some researchers argue
that firms should get rid of women-exclusive initiatives, the leaders should work on unifying the

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genders. It is also essential to examine the organization culture and figure out if the style is
masculine or feminine. It is essential to be inclusive and try to get the best of everyone, which
translates to being neutral. Insisting on a meritocracy is the may be one of the best ways to
achieve this (Wittenberg-Cox, 2016). This was insisted by Ms. Beister when she said that a
meritocratic approach is necessary, because ultimately, men and women are different, and
pretending they are not wouldnt solve the gender parity issue; treating them equally based on
their performance and skills is the only way forward (E. Beister, personal communication,
November 19, 2016).
Just achieving a gender-balanced organization wont do any good, if it isnt ultimately
achieving the business goals set for the firm. Hence gender issues need to be addressed in a way
that is strategically relevant to the organization. Changing the firms DNA and the organizations
culture into a more gender-balanced one takes time, dedication, patience, and planning. CEOs
need to recognize that people have a whole other life outside of work, and make them
comfortable about discussing their personal life at work. By actively listening to the employees,
CEOs can understand their professional performance or lack thereof, and the reasons behind
them. Many firms are now getting rid of the term maternity leave and using the more gender
neutral term of parental leave. Managers should cease to assume that only women take
parental leave and encourage men to take parental leave as well (Wittenberg-Cox, 2016). Ms.
Beister suggested that this might be a crucial step toward gender equality, men sharing parental
responsibilities at home, which she finds is more common in Europe, unlike the Cayman Islands,
where women bear the majority of child-raising duties. This puts women in an awkward position
of having to choose between their career and family (E. Beister, personal communication,
November 19, 2016). However, such plans have to trickle top-down, and CEOs have to ensure

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that all the managers in the organization are supportive of gender balance policies (WittenbergCox, 2016).
While it may appear true at first glance, data and statistics show otherwise. A survey by
the ESO (Economics and Statistics Office) shows almost equal participation in the labor force by
men and women. However, this equality doesnt extend to compensation. Over eighty percent of
the workforce making less than eight hundred dollars a month were women, and over sixty
percent of the workforce making less than sixteen hundred dollars a month were also women.
This low income combined with women often being single parents further attributes to poverty.
On the other end, men consist of over sixty five percent of the workers earning more than seven
thousand dollars per month. However, in the middle-income range, both genders are represented
equally, which is refreshing and encouraging. This suggests that women are not equally
represented in the higher salary ranges of the Cayman Islands, and this is worse when you
consider that both have the same job description ("Gender Equality", 2016).
In an international research conducted in over 500 global firms, the firms that had at least
three women in their top management, had over 16% ROE, while other companies saw only over
10%. Hence it is clear that women in top management is not only good for gender equality but
also for potential benefits for the firm itself, and by extension for national economies. The
government of the Cayman Islands believes that actively working toward improved gender
equality; the country will have an attractive profile for global investment ("Gender Equality",
2016).

Limitations
As discussed in the various sections above, there is ample evidence that gender disparity

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exists, and legislation all over the world has failed to protect women against it. Not only is
gender inequality prevalent in developing countries, but even in the developed countries, it is
rampant. Globally it is true that the median pay for women is around twenty percent less than
men. It is also essential to note that unpaid domestic labor is shared more by women than men,
and there is research evidence to support this. Data shows that over seventy five percent of
married women do more household work than their husband, which puts more demand on their
time and thus impeding their career. Hence the advancement of women in the organization to top
management faces multi-faceted challenges from home to work to national culture (Smith,
2014).
While this is about one end of the spectrum, only four of the companies researched have
female CEOs. There are far fewer women representatives in the governments all around the
world. Not just in corporations, even in government and politics women are underrepresented.
Since most of the policy makers are men, the legislature needed for gender equality never gets
passed anywhere. The systematic disadvantage exists well beyond pay gap and
underrepresentation. We are dealing with gender discrimination in providing asylum, and sexual
violence. Women who speak out on these grave issues, often find themselves as the victim of
vicious attacks and threats. These attacks are even more prevalent on social media. Data puts
sexually aggressive tweets are targeted against women in the ratio of 30:1. This further detracts
anyone speaking out about gender discrimination issues.

The complexity and intricacy of the

gender discrimination issue are lost because we discuss women in technology or women in
government as separate topics. However, the universal problems common to all industries is
being lost in the tussle. Gender stereotypes and culture and tradition are foundational issues to
the problem at hand (Smith, 2014).

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We should look more into how women are silenced on these various issues. There isnt
anything as a single womans experience. Speaking about the idea of a woman in the singular,
thereby ignoring the issues such as race, class, and gender that feed into social exclusion is
essential because there are certain issues faced by all women irrespective of their education, race
or privilege. The term silencing refers to the ways in which womens opinions are often ignored
or shut down, using gender based insults and threats. Almost all women, at some point, have
experienced put-downs, using negative rhetoric, thereby undermining their authority (Smith,
2014).
Then there is the issue of perception, where the society respects the voice and
conventions of men more than that of women. This is true for all fields: radio, TV, media,
literature, and business. The excuse of there are no qualified women available doesnt hold
good any longer. Masculinity and authoritativeness have been tied in history for a long time.
Since then, there has of course been tremendous progress in womens education, women entering
the labor force, womens right to vote, etc. Aristotle wrote that women were far less superior than
men in both intellectual capacities and in work ethics, which is a claim men have repeated over
the next 2000 years. The biological difference between genders has always been used as a prop
to support myths and stereotypes. For example, even from birth, boys and girls now have a
division of needs: different clothes, toys, and activities are assigned for fenders, suggesting social
engineering of minds from a very young age. When classified by scientific evidence, such
practices become objective, and when classified as law, they affect millions of women all over
the world. In many countries, there is a distinction between maternity and paternity leave, instead
of the more gender-neutral parental leave. This leads to managers and recruiters making
assumptions about young womens productive years,' assuming that when they have kids, their

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priorities will change (Smith, 2014).

Summary and Conclusion

Gender equality is the right of both genders to have similar opportunities in fields such as
education, labor, compensation and thereby be a contributing member of the society. The
promise of equal rights and compensation, along with the promise of no discrimination and
harassment to all people, promotes the advancement of both men and women working in tandem.
It is advantageous to promote equality because it helps both the organization and the country in
general (Gender Equality, 2011).
While considering management positions, we have analyzed whether gender is a
consideration when hiring or promoting an employee. The usual sexist remarks from men
include how women are less capable and smart, and how they have undesirable characteristics
including paltriness, hysteria and idle chat (Vuksanovi, 2012).
The best solution to this problem is, of course, education. There are still numerous gender
stereotypes that exist in the educational curriculum, hence revising the curriculum and training
teachers in gender neutral education could help. It is also essential to appeal to consciousness
raising,' which can assist with fighting sexism that escapes the law and sneaks up on the society.
All of these suggestions are long-term as there is no quick fix to centuries of social conditioning.
We need to approach the solution with a healthy dose of pessimism to remind how huge the
gender discrimination issue is and make the society aware of the social constructs that reinforce
gender inequality (Smith, 2014).
We need to ask ourselves how companies can assure equal opportunities as well as equal
pay and visibility to both genders. The steps that are suggested to improve the existing situation.

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This includes how leadership is defined in the organization, what is the leadership style of the
organization and the organization culture. There should be equal access to high profile projects,
thereby assuring equal visibility to both genders. Equal networking opportunities can also be
provided by assigning mentors, Q&A sessions, and gender-inclusive networking events. By
establishing apolitical criteria, making internal promotion process more evident, and opening up
the networks, we can assure to keep women in the workforce, and help create diverse and skillful
leaders and managers (Correll & Mackenzie, 2016).

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