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Does the Presence of Women in Management Impact Gender Inequality?

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Handbook on Well-Being of Working Women

Part of the book series: International Handbooks of Quality-of-Life ((IHQL))

Abstract

Differential access to managerial jobs and occupations creates and sustains inequality on other important markers of gender inequality, as these positions bestow many benefits on their incumbents. Also, the demographic composition of managerial positions has important consequences for those who work at lower levels, as managers are critical actors who shape the allocation of rewards in organizations. In this chapter, I review theoretical and empirical work on both the question of access and whether women’s presence in managerial jobs affects gender inequality. Although there has been a marked increase in women’s representation in managerial roles, progress has slowed. This has far-reaching implications for gender inequality, as a burgeoning body of literature shows that women’s presence in managerial hierarchies reduces gender inequality.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The EEO-1 data are not publicly available. Matt L. Huffman obtained the data for analysis from the EEOC through an Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) agreement.

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  1. Department of Sociology and The Paul Merage School of Business, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697-5100, USA

    Matt L. Huffman

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  1. Department of Management College of Business Administration, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa, USA

    Mary L. Connerley

  2. Department of Management and Marketing School of Management, Rhode Island College, Providence, Rhode Island, USA

    Jiyun Wu

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Huffman, M.L. (2016). Does the Presence of Women in Management Impact Gender Inequality?. In: Connerley, M., Wu, J. (eds) Handbook on Well-Being of Working Women. International Handbooks of Quality-of-Life. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9897-6_11

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