The use of female managers in international assignments

Résumé du document

The last decade has seen an increasing focus on the gender of top executives and boards of directors of firms, and on the issues surrounding gender equality in management at all levels within organizations (Smith et al, 2006). Despite major changes in equal opportunities, legislation and initiatives in a number of companies across the world, the studies continue to show that ‘the proportion of women reaching top positions is still very low in most countries, though it has been increasing in the US and in some European countries' (Smith et al, 2006, p.569). In nearly half of the 41 countries studied, women appear to generally be found in around 20 and 30 percent of legislative, senior official, and managerial positions (Wirth, 2001).

On the other hand, in a few countries, such as the Republic of Korea and Sri Lanka, women hold less than 10 percent of legislative, senior official and managerial positions. Various strategies, from national government regulation to financial and educational support have tried to address this issue, based on the concept of promotion of equality of access to all roles. Some national governments, such as Norway, have legislated that boards of directors must contain a minimum of 40% female members, which has significantly affected the recruitment practices for Norwegian board members (UN, 2003).

Extraits

[...] It might be possible to make use of female executives to exponentially improve corporate image and international recruitment policies and activities. There are people who argue that increasing women in management positions is not necessarily beneficial. More diversity might also mean more conflicts within the board or management team. More people prefer male over female bosses, and it is more difficult for women than men to become leaders and to succeed in male-dominated leadership roles (Eagly, 2007). Such difficulties would most likely mean that fighting to achieve a management role for many women would actually destabilize parts of the company or negatively affect performance and be less than desirable (Eagly, 2007). [...]

[...] Harvey would argue, however, that there are likely to be gender differences in this finding, and that for female executives, the family-related issues may be more dominant in decision making. Harvey (1999) states significantly more attention is not focused on the special needs/requirements of dual-career families, the most capable managers may never take the opportunity afforded by an international assignment. Both the managers and their companies will be negatively impacted by the decision not to undertake such an international assignment” (p.247). This suggests that international human resource management requires proactive policies to address the issues challenging women in the global career marketplace. [...]

[...] (2004) Success and spirituality in the new business paradigm. Journal of Management Inquiry 13 249-260. Bantel, K.A., Jackson, S.E. (1989), "Top management and innovations in banking: does the composition of the top team make a difference?", Strategic Management Journal -124. Duehr, E.E. and Bono, J.C. (2006) Men, women and managers: are stereotypes finally changing? Personnel Psychology 59 815-846. Eagly, A.H. (2007) Female Leadership Advantage And Disadvantage: Resolving The Contradictions Psychology of Women Quarterly 31(1) 1-12 Forster, N. [...]

[...] Forster (1999) shows that insufficient attention has been given to the small but growing number of women who are embracing international careers. The findings of a two-year study based on the experiences of 92 female expatriates in a variety of UK-based companies, demonstrate that despite evidence of an increasing number of women choosing international assignments, they are concentrated in junior and middle management positions, have less options regarding the countries to which they can be posted and are hindered by cultural prejudices about gender roles in some countries. [...]

[...] How such benefits can be realized, however, requires further research in white-male dominated business models. In relation to international recruitment and mobility, it is apparent that an ongoing gender issue exists, which is particularly challenging for gender equality. Haines and Saba (1999) conducted a study to identify which international mobility policies and practices appear to be most receptive to the needs of women; based on the fact the number of women in international management is low. The study found significant gender differences on five career-related international mobility policies and practices, and suggests that while career support has been recognized as an important condition of expatriate success, results suggest that this form of support is significant for encouraging women to accept to work abroad, along with financial support, while family-friendly policies made no difference. [...]