Factors influencing attainment of CEO position for women

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to determine possible differences in causes or characteristics between men and women in attaining the CEO position in large publicly listed companies in the USA. Design/methodology/approach T-test statistic, correlation analyses and logit model were used to determine the role individual factors (tenure in management roles, age of CEOs, number of children, years of education) and the firm-level factor (number of employees, net income) play in determining the likelihood of having a female CEO. Findings The research results show that years of education, the number of children and the number of employees in the business play significant roles in determining the likelihood of having a female CEO. An increase in the number of children and years spent in education lower the probability of the CEO being a woman, while having greater number of employees raises the likelihood of having a woman CEO. Research limitations/implications The findings are applicable to only the largest publicly traded firms in the USA and are not applicable to mid to small publicly listed, private or non-for-profit companies or institutions. This research is a starting point for future research of women and men CEOs of small and mid-size publicly traded and non-publicly traded firms in the USA. Originality/value Prior research has shown that having children is detrimental for women in management positions; this research specifically identifies this problem for the CEO position. It also reveals that having more of education does not translate to getting to the CEO position for women.

Working conditions in hydrogen production: A social life cycle assessment

“…Only very few high‐level managerial and CEO positions around the world are filled by women. Research by Hurley and Choudhary () confirms that years of education, number of children, and the size of the company in terms of number of employees play a determining role in the probability of the CEO being female, at least in the largest publicly traded firms in the United States. Another important factor for the discrepancy between male and female remuneration is the sectors in which women work.…”

Sponsorship and social identity in advancement of women leaders in South Africa

“…Senior women perceive themselves as more agentic (Eagly & Johannesen-Schmidt, 2001) and career driven than junior women. Junior women's careers are influenced positively by having women role models or mentors (Hurley & Choudhary, 2016). According to Elstad & Ladegard (2012), previously male boards that employ women to gain specialised skills on the board send positive messages to internal and external stakeholders.…”

Underveis Menns og kvinners lederkarrierer

“…Også internasjonale studier understreker at ansvar for barn svekker kvinners mulighet for å nå toppen (Hurley & Choudhary, 2016). Mange kvinner kan foretrekke lederkarrierer i offentlig sektor, der gode permisjonsavtaler, fleksible arbeidstidsordninger og likestillingsorienterte holdninger skaper karriereveier som gir gode muligheter til å ivareta foreldrerollen -såkalte «mommy tracks».…”

“…Sterk utdanningsbakgrunn framstår som vesentlig for å nå toppen (Hurley & Choudhary, 2016). En skal også vaere åpen for at kvinner i enkelte sammenhenger kan risikere at deres reelle kompetanse undervurderes This article is downloaded from www.idunn.no.…”