Judith K. Pringle

Gender in Management: Theorizing Gender as Heterogender

Research on gendered identities in management has exploded over the past three decades. The focus on gender obscures the place of sexuality in gendered theory. In this article theories of gender as ‘object’, ‘subject’ and as social processes are used as interpretative frames to explore the ways in which gender and sexuality are enacted by lesbian managers. Their narratives demonstrate that managing gender was experienced primarily as managing heterosexuality. Disjunctions in identity positions revealed that heterosexual assumptions provide the foundation of gender. Reframing gender as ‘heterogender’ foregrounds heterosexuality and gender as intertwined and provides another layer to understanding how gender is ‘done’ in management.

Going up? Perceived career progress of female general staff across New Zealand universities

This exploratory study of female general staff across New Zealand universities examined career motivation, subjective discrimination and home and occupational salience. Career development and aspirations and multiple home and community commitments were examined through a self-administered online questionnaire. Skill recognition, a good relationship with management and confidence in one’s abilities contributed towards a positive career attitude. A perception of limited career opportunities at the participants’ universities reduced the importance placed on work. Respondents, particularly those with postgraduate qualifications, were found to possess high levels of career motivation and occupational salience. Of research interest was whether the female general staff perceived additional barriers compared with female academic staff or their male general staff colleagues. Participants perceived role-based subjective discrimination when they compared themselves with female academic staff. A number of implications are discussed directed towards increasing positive career experiences.

Understanding context in diversity management: a multi-level analysis

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to operationalize context in diversity management research. Design/methodology/approach – A case analysis provides an example of the influences of context at macro, meso and micro levels. Country context (macro) and professional and organization contexts (meso) are analysed in relation to the micro individual experiences of gender and indigeneity at work. Findings – Tensions and inconsistencies at macro and meso levels impact on diversity management at a micro level. The authors demonstrate how power and context are intertwined in the biopolitical positioning of subjects in terms of gender and indigeneity. The contested legacy of indigenous-colonial relations and societal gender dynamics are “played out” in a case from the accounting profession. Research limitations/implications – Within critical diversity studies context and power are linked in a reciprocal relationship; analysis of both is mandatory to strengthen theory and practice. The multi-level analytical fram...

Pursuing equal pay: The perspectives of female engineers and potential policy interventions

The gender pay gap of higher paid women working in traditionally male-dominated sectors has received less analysis in equal pay research than low paid, female-dominated and undervalued women’s work. This article explores equal pay from the perspectives of female engineers, well paid women working in a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) sector in New Zealand, who perform work of the same or like nature to male engineers but who are paid less for doing so. It explores the gender pay gap against the complex intersections of labour market de-regulation, family demands, work and the ‘cost of being female’ that women in engineering must constantly navigate. The research uses quantitative pay data in the sector disaggregated by gender, and new qualitative data from focus groups and interviews with 22 female engineers. It finds a surprising lack of transparency around pay and remuneration in the sector at the individual level which negatively impacts on women. The article concludes by recommending new public policy initiatives for equal pay in sectors like engineering, where individualised negotiation and bargaining is embedded in neo-liberalism.

Rationalizing pay inequity: women engineers, pervasive patriarchy and the neoliberal chimera

Abstract This article argues that neoliberalism with its pervasive patriarchy and co-option of feminism, renders women tacitly complicit in gendered pay inequalities. We show that in New Zealand, one of the world’s most neoliberal nations, women who might precisely be best equipped to argue for equal pay – engineers – do not do so because neoliberalism makes many feel responsible for, and accepting of, their lower salaries. In interviews and focus groups, many women engineers talk of deserving less pay than men because of their ‘choices’, their ‘personality’ and their lack of ‘responsibility’. In a disempowering environment, some women show agency by disavowing gender as a reason for the pay gap. Such narratives of individualized shortcomings reduce hope of collective action that might uncover and dismantle the systemic causes of pay inequity, which are not due to a woman’s choice or personality but rather what we frame as the neoliberal chimera.

Expanding Management: Issues and Impacts of Women in Management Research

This paper reviews women in management research, as it moves from being a specialisation, to a source on influence on the mainstream. Specifically, there has been a shift from women to gender as a conceptual framework, which has led to explorations of identity issues in the workplace. There is a growing acceptance of organisations as manifestations of masculinity that is being differentiated into masculinities. The intersection of identities such as genders, race and ethnicity is beginning to be explored. The extensive work on sexual harassment is broadening to include research into the subtle but explicit presence of sexuality in organisations. Women have moved in management and are poised at the brink of senior management. At this point many women leave and studies are beginning to explore the functioning of women run organisations. Finally the potential ability of women in management research to expand the concept of management is noted.

Self-initiated expatriation (SIE) by older women: an exploratory study

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the SIE experiences of women over 50, its drivers, nature and outcomes. Design/methodology/approach The paper draws on participant data from in-depth life story interviews with 21 women who had undertaken SIE from New Zealand and later returned. From this sample two subgroups (aid volunteers and contract carers) are utilized as “vignette” exemplars, and common factors elicited. Findings SIE provided a desirable liberation from pressing mid-life issues. It was transformational for all participants, sometimes through serendipitous career development, but more commonly, after return, through personal development, changes in values, decreased emphasis on paid work, and simpler lifestyle. Research limitations/implications The small sample size and qualitative methodology make the study exploratory rather than definitive and the specific location and small sample size limit transferability. The snowballing recruitment method may have disproportionately encouraged similar, and positively disposed, participants. Practical implications The availability and special characteristics of this expatriate and repatriate group for potential employing organizations are considered, as are the gains in human capital and individual well-being to society as a whole. The women studied provide excellent role models for older women considering independent overseas travel and employment. Originality/value By focusing on older women, this study extends the boundaries of the SIE literature. The findings highlight the limitations of work-centric theories of SIE, careers and older workers, the non-linear nature of women’s careers and the heterogeneity of later life pathways. The study is also original in demonstrating major positive transformational effects of expatriation on all its participants.

Women opting in?: New perspectives on the Kaleidoscope Career Model

This paper reports on findings of an interpretive study, which used the Kaleidoscope Career Model as lens through which to view the careers of professional women in education. The study used hermeneutic phenomenology, a methodology novel in management and career management to gain a subjective perspective on women’s career experience and what career means to them at different career stages. Findings indicated that women did not “opt-out,” or adopt a clear-cut gender beta career pattern. Rather, they mirrored an alpha pattern with challenge continuing into mid-career. The three Kaleidoscope Career Model parameters operated in an ongoing way in women’s lives, and authenticity was a powerful theme throughout their careers. However, women in late career tended to “lean back”; their desire for authenticity became subjugated by their need for balance. These findings add to extant Kaleidoscope Career Model research and reveal factors, which contribute to women’s ability to “opt-in” rather than out of their careers.

How Some Women Are Opting In: A New Perspective on the Kaleidoscope Career Model

The Kaleidoscope Career Model (Mainiero & Sullivan, 2005) has been proposed as a useful metaphor from which to view women’s careers. The model was introduced in an attempt to explain how women atte...

Professional insights: reflections from EDI conferences - consistency and change

Purpose – Rich research discussion that occurs at conferences is rarely made accessible after the event. This paper aims to report on two “equality diversity and inclusion” (EDI) conferences held in Auckland, New Zealand, in 2008 and 2011. It summarises, compares and contrasts the processes and content of the conferences as well as identifying research trends and suggesting future research directions.Design/methodology/approach – Text from the abstracts and transcribed audio recordings of conference discussions and presentations were analysed for similarities and differences. Two of the authors completed individual analyses of each of the conferences before reaching consensus on the overall themes.Findings – Enduring EDI concerns over the two conferences were: identity, change practices and context. At the 2008 conference, three linked categories permeated discussion: methodologies, identity and practices for effective change. Over the intervening three years, research volume grew and differentiated into ...