The HR lady is on board: Untangling the link between HRM's feminine image and HRM's board representation

Abstract

In this paper, we untangle the relationship between the HRM occupation's feminine image and the representation of the HRM function on executive boards. A Monte Carlo simulation analysis of 172 executive boards in Austria, Germany, France, Spain, and Sweden shows that women on boards are disproportionately often responsible for HRM and having a woman on the board corresponds to HRM being represented on the board. Additional exploratory analyses of country contexts indicate that this relationship is not universal. Considering several explanations for these country differences, we propose that institutional pressures promoting women's integration into boards is the main reason for the differences. Organisations yield to this pressure and reduce the anticipated performance risks by appointing women with function-specific experience to board positions responsible for HRM-a function perceived as matching women's stereotypically assumed talents.

At the European intersection: the Austrian way to equality, diversity and inclusion

“…In 2018, Austria has introduced a gender quota for the supervisory board (Austria has a two-tier board system) of publicly traded companies. This quota is considered 'symbolic equality legislation' as only a few organizations are covered 5 and sanctions (empty seat) are rather low (Reichel et al, 2020).…”

Gender in Human Resources: Hiding in plain sight

“…Applying these ideas to the HR occupation, we can make several observations. Firstly, as Reichel et al (2020) note, overall HR is a management specialisation where women have traditionally been dominant, increasingly so over recent times, and is 'perceived as matching women's stereotypically assumed talents' (p. 583) of dealing with people and showing a concern for others (see also Bolton & Muzio, 2008;Brandl et al, 2008). The traditional associations of HR with 'allegedly female skills such as communication, organisation and emotional support' (Bolton & Muzio, 2008 p. 289) makes it a 'gender authentic' (Faulkner, 2009, p. 172) career choice for women that requires little explanation.…”

“…We could also expect other contextual dimensions relating to work to have a bearing on the gendering of HR (Cooke, 2018). The norms, regulatory systems, institutions and traditions underpinning employment relations in different countries could contribute to the HR occupation being ‘gendered’ in divergent ways, depending on where it is practiced (Reichel et al., 2020).…”

“…While the high concentration of women working in HR has attracted academic attention since the 1980s to the present day (e.g. see Bolton & Muzio, 2008; Brandl et al., 2008; Gooch, 1994; Legge, 1987; Reichel et al., 2013; Reichel et al., 2020; Roos & Manley, 1996) reflection about the gendered associations of HR‐as‐occupation has remained marginal to the field as a whole. Our overall argument is that gender is largely a ‘blindspot’ in current theorising and critique of HRM.…”

Beating the advertising drum for the employer: How legal context translates into good HRM practice

“…When actors engage in institutional work and translation, they shape what (HRM) practice is institutionalized. Legislation frequently targets topics which concern HRM practices (Reichel et al, 2020;Roumpi et al, 2020). While laws are an important impulse for institutionalizing (new) HRM practices, legal texts are vague on what constitutes a legitimate implementation of the law in HRM practice (Dobbin, 2009).…”