Gender diversity in modern firms is a critical concept representing inclusivity and a healthy culture. Employee management and human resources strive to include more women in the workplace, including the diversity of women of color, LGBTQ+, and women with disabilities. The corporate world may be a difficult place for many women, particularly in tech firms that are male-dominated, but gender diversity is critical both from a social perspective and the contributions that female leaders bring to the table. The research question analyzed for this literature review is the impact of a firm’s employee & management gender diversity on U.S Tech Companies’ stock prices for the period 2010 – 2019.
Individualization, Gender, and Cultural Work
The first article is titled Individualization, Gender, and Cultural Work by Mark Banks and Katie Milestone. The article explores the cultural status quo of the modern decentralized ‘new school’ economy which continues to maintain elements of the traditional ‘old school’ culture in terms of inequality and discrimination against women. The authors are motivated to challenge the claims which suggest that modernization and detraditionalization of social relations in the workplace lead to equality and release from gender stereotypes. However, the authors argue that detraditionalization of social relations is not that simple, but rather using the theories of Lash and Adkins to confirm that instead, reflexive forms of cultural production.
Largely theoretical data was used for this study; there is no methodology but rather a discussion within the theoretical frameworks. The major conclusion is that tradition is not changed rapidly by forces of modernization but rather gently shifted under reflexibility. The attempts for organizations to adopt individualization to undo traditional roles are not very effective within the new media, and other cultural industries as new forms of work continue to rely on old patterns of discrimination and exploitation. There are some positives for women, as reflexive production allows them to assert themselves and make something out of their careers on the same level as men. There is a need for entrepreneurship and self-application that allows women to make their professional lives and derive a sense of autonomy and fulfillment.
This research contributes to the discipline by describing how cultural change contributes to the topic of gender equality, highlighting the persistence of certain traditions. An important unanswered research question is what must be done by an organization to prevent the traditional roles and inequalities from persisting in the context of the cultural shifts and re-rationalization. This article relates to the topic by exploring the theme of gender in the workplace in terms of social relationships and equality; it establishes a strong theoretical background to the approaches in the industry.
Why does workplace gender diversity matter?
The article is titled, Why does workplace gender diversity matter? Justice, organizational benefits, and policy by Fine, Sojo, and Lawford-Smith. The article focuses on providing a review of literature on justice-based and company-wide benefits of gender diversity at work. There is no methodology used, simply a literature review and analysis. The motivation for the article is the lack of equal representation for genders both horizontally and vertically, along with the understanding that despite its seeming simplicity, the topic of gender diversity is highly complex.
The conclusions of this review indicate that males and females are not inherently different but not similar to the point of being considered unitary. From a justice-based perspective, greater diversity will lead to lesser sex discrimination and will “combat androcentrism in products.” There are also positive practical implications, including “team and firm performance, occupational well-being, innovation, and governance.” The key outcome is that gender diversity policies and initiatives should be welcomed since there are positive outcomes stemming from evidence-based research. These findings are important to the discipline, highlighting the comprehensive impacts of gender diversity in the workplace and organizations at all levels, making it a critical component of the policy.
While this research reviews a range of studies focused on the various aspects of the workplace, there is little direct data provided in terms of statistics to support these outcomes. A research question that arises from this information is why there is such resistance to achieving greater gender diversity and inclusion, given that it benefits workplaces and organizations at so many levels. Are there any specific cultural or societal resistors to change? This article relates to the topic and others by exploring the concept of gender diversity in the context of organizations and policy; it emphasizes that management actions are necessary for the success of companies.
Gender, Work, and Organization: A gender-work-organization analysis
The article by Jeff Hearn titled Gender, Work, and Organization: A gender-work-organization analysis focuses on celebrating the 25th anniversary of the journal by the same name and exploring events that led up to the establishment of the journal and changes in society after. The article has no methodology, but it is a critique mixed with some literature reviews exploring the concept of gender. The motivation for the article stems from the shift in societal perception of gender in the workplace and how the field of study of GWO has developed.
The findings indicate that all concepts of GWO have changed significantly. Gender is now a more fluid construct, and there are differences and separations from sex in that regard. Work perception has shifted; while it is known that women now carry out significant unpaid domestic and care work, there are still limits in many regards to educational attainment and equal pay. Furthermore, work has now changed dramatically, allowing for online work, freelance work, and other forms where women actually have greater freedom to participate. Finally, the organization has also become a less stable notion.
Organizations are now characterized by change and fluidity, with shifting membership, lean flexibilization, and network organizing. Overall, these changes produce a different landscape than that of 2-3 decades ago and require a new and innovative approach to discourse on gender politics in the workplace.
The main question arising from this article is how to have changes to the elements of GWO resulted in shifts in academic perceptions and theories regarding the topic of women in the workplace. Overall, the article is weak, focused more on the journal rather than an actual exploration of theory, nor does it draw too many connections or implications. The article relates to the research question by exploring the concept of gender diversity in firms from a three-pronged perspective, but it is also heavily European-based, which does not focus on U.S. issues as much.
The nature of gender: work, gender, and environment
The article is titled The nature of gender: work, gender, and the environment by Andrea Nightingale. The topic focuses on the connection between gender and the environment around them in the so-called gender-environment nexus. The findings indicate that gender should be reconceptualized as a dynamic relationship between environment, gender, and other elements of social and cultural life. Gender from a political ecology perspective should be used to analyze human-environment interactions and be at the center of the distribution of resources. The motivation for this article stems from the long understanding that gender is critical within environmental issues, suggesting that women have an intimate connection to natural ecosystems, but its relevance is debated. This is a critique and literature review, so no methodology or data is used.
The primary question that arises is whether this gender-environmental nexus can be used for human social implications to achieve a greater level of diversity and equality in social organizations and structures. There are many deficiencies to the article, as it explores a highly abstract topic that is difficult to prove beyond theorizing and has little to do with social structures. Gender is the only concept relating this article to others and the topic; it has virtually no relevance or contribution to the selected research question.
The article by Simionescu, Gherghina, Tawil, and Sheikha
The article by Simionescu, Gherghina, Tawil, and Sheikha explores whether gender diversity on technology firm boards impacts its performance. The article uses the methodology of the pooled ordinary least squares (OLS) method to compare S&P 500 companies in the IT sector. The motivation for the research is based on an increased number of women representations on the boards of tech firms worldwide, and the overall suggestion in management those female executives contribute to better decision-making. Findings indicate that there is no distinguishable difference between board representation and ROA, but there is some evidence of positive influences on the price-to-earnings ratio when more women are on the board.
Data was collected from publicly available financial information published by the 71 companies in the sample. An econometric approach was used to analyze corporate board gender diversity’s impact on firm performance. There are no deficiencies to this article as they provide both quantitative and qualitative data to support their findings along with a theoretical background. A research question that arises from the findings is what the implications for gender diversity for large companies are going forward, could there be other variables that are positively impacted, and how does it influence policy going forward?
The article directly relates to the topic at hand as it explores the financial performance of tech firms based on a gender diversity change in management; it provides a quantitative evidence approach to all the other articles, which were all theory-based.