The View at the Top or Signing at the Bottom? Workplace Diversity Responsibility and Women’s Representation in Management

Abstract

Women lag men in their representation in management jobs, which negatively affects women’s careers and company performance. Using data from 81 publicly traded firms with more than 2,000 establishments, the authors examine the impact of two management structures that may influence gender diversity in management positions. The authors find no association between the presence of an HR executive on the top management team—a structure envisioned in practice as enhancing diversity but which could, instead, operate merely symbolically—and the proportion of women in management. By contrast, the authors show a strong, positive association between a previously unexamined measure of commitment to diversity—the hierarchical rank of the individual certifying the company’s required, confidential federal EEO-1 report—and women’s representation in management. These findings counter the common perception that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) regulations are too weak to affect gender diversity. The authors discuss the implications for diversity scholarship, as well as for management practice and public policy.

Women executives and off‐the‐job misconduct by high‐profile employees: A study of National Football League team organizations

“…Second, our findings suggest that NFL team organizations with critical masses of women executives are employing them for substantive (e.g., management expertise) rather than symbolic (e.g., public relations) purposes, because the critical masses of women were significantly associated with reduced player arrests (Graham, Belliveau, & Hotchkiss, 2017).…”

“…That is, women have less experience playing football competitively, they face stereotypes of being less knowledgeable about sport than men, and they work within the masculine culture of sport (Berdahl et al, 2018; Braddock, 1989; Burton, 2015; Hobson & Clarke, 2020). Second, our findings suggest that NFL team organizations with critical masses of women executives are employing them for substantive (e.g., management expertise) rather than symbolic (e.g., public relations) purposes, because the critical masses of women were significantly associated with reduced player arrests (Graham, Belliveau, & Hotchkiss, 2017).…”

Demographic Group Representation in Occupational Categories: A Longitudinal Study of EEO-1 Data

“…This “business case” for diversity is a strong motivator which has driven recent changes in the workforce, including an increase in women and nonwhites in managerial positions. In society, there has also been a push for businesses to hire and promote women and nonwhites into all leadership positions, and further crack the glass ceiling (Cohen and Huffman 2007; Cohen, Huffman, and Knauer 2009; Graham, Belliveau, and Hotchkiss 2017; Hirsh and Kornrich 2009; Kurtulus 2012; EEOC 2004).…”

Wo schaffen es Frauen an die Spitze? Eine empirische Analyse mit Betriebsdaten

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