Factors Excluding Female Managers in Oil and Gas Industry

Running head: DISSERTATION
Investigate the factors the forces to exclude female managers from reaching senior management
positions within the Oil and Gas Industry
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

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Acknowledgement
Thank you to all of those who have helped listened and encouraged me throughout this study. I
am indebted to my supervisor ......................... whose guidance, advice and patience have
been immeasurable. My sincere thanks to all members of the............... [Mention your
university/college name], both staff and students, whose continuous support have made this
thesis possible.
I would like to thank all of the participants in the study: students, teachers and Local Education
Authorities, for the time and help given throughout. Without their participation, this research
would not have been possible. In this context, I am also thankful to them, whose research work
helped me to execute this paper well.
Finally, I thank my family, without whom this thesis would not have been started or completed!
Your encouragement and support have never faltered; thank you.

2DISSERTATION
Abstract
The aim of the research is to investigate the factors the forces to exclude female managers from
reaching senior management positions within the Oil and Gas Industry. Though the number of
women at workplace has increased but the existing gap and gender discrimination is nowhere
near minimizing. It is still hard for the workplace to believe that women are no less than men
when it comes to workplace roles and responsibilities. Gender discrimination is a rising problem
for business organizations across all sectors and oil and gas sector is no different. One of the
main factors that restrict the journey of women to senior management position is the existing
stereotypical thinking that exists within the work culture. Another issue is the existing perception
about the ability of women associated with balancing work-life and personal life priorities
restricts them from reaching top management position.
Positivism philosophy, deductive approach, descriptive design and interview research strategy
has been used for undertaking this research. Five female managers in the oil and gas sector has
been selected as the sample size by using non-probability sampling technique. Primary data
collected method has been used, as this allowed to communicate personally with the female
managers of the oil and gas sector and gather in-depth information about the factors that exclude
female managers to reach senior position. The interview gathered in therefore analyzed
quantitatively.
From the interview analysis, it can be said that female managers indeed in the oil and gas sector
are indeed deprived and are not given adequate chances of being selected as the senior
management position. The female managers have encountered several instances during their
employment duration in the oil and gas sector when they have not been promoted to managerial

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posts in spite of being deserving. The discussion conducted also supports the findings of the data
analysis. Therefore, it is said that though women have made tremendous gains in the ranks of
lower and middle management position over the past 30 years, but the number of females in the
senior management position are less small. The major factors that have restricted women from
being in the senior management positions are gender roles, gender biasness, the existing
stereotypical thinking and confidence. As a result, women are considered out of the league for
being selected in the senior management position in the oil and gas sector

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Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction....................................................................................................................7
1.0 Overview...........................................................................................................................7
1.1 Problem statement.................................................................................................................7
1.2 Research aim..........................................................................................................................8
1.3 Research objectives...............................................................................................................8
1.4 Research questions.................................................................................................................8
1.5 Research rationale..................................................................................................................9
1.6 Structure of the dissertation.................................................................................................10
1.7 Summary..............................................................................................................................10
Chapter 2: Literature review..........................................................................................................12
2.0 Overview..............................................................................................................................12
2.1 Gender discrimination at work............................................................................................12
2.2 Recruitment policies of oil and gas sector...........................................................................13
2.3 Workplace disparity among male and female employees...................................................14
2.4 Factors that restrict the growth of women at work..............................................................15
2.4.1 Personal life for women................................................................................................15
2.4.2 Male dominated workplace...........................................................................................16
2.4.3 Stereotypical thinking...................................................................................................16

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2.4.4 Lack of trust in terms of women’s ability.....................................................................17
2.5 Role of management in promoting female inclusion at senior management level..............18
2.6 Present scenario of female managers in oil and gas sector..................................................19
2.7 Issues of not given adequate chances to female employees at management level..............20
2.8 Benefits of including females at managerial level...............................................................21
2.9 Policies for promoting workplace equality..........................................................................21
2.10 Summary............................................................................................................................22
Chapter 3: Research methodology.................................................................................................23
3.0 Introduction..........................................................................................................................23
3.1 Research Philosophy............................................................................................................23
3.2 Justification of selecting positivism philosophy..............................................................24
3.3 Research Approach..............................................................................................................24
3.4 Justification of selecting deductive approach..................................................................25
3.5 Research Design..................................................................................................................26
3.6 Justification of selecting descriptive design....................................................................26
3.7 Justification for selecting interview research strategy.....................................................27
3.8 Sampling Technique and Sampling Size.............................................................................27
3.9 Justification for selecting systematic sampling technique...............................................28
3.10 Data Collection Technique................................................................................................28
3.11 Justification for selecting primary data collection technique........................................29

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3.12 Data Analysis Technique...................................................................................................29
3.13 Ethical Considerations.......................................................................................................29
3.14 Summary............................................................................................................................30
Chapter 4: Data analysis................................................................................................................31
4.0 Overview..............................................................................................................................31
4.1 Interview..............................................................................................................................31
4.2 Summary..............................................................................................................................37
Chapter 5: Discussion....................................................................................................................38
5.0 Overview..............................................................................................................................38
5.1 Discussions..........................................................................................................................38
5.2 Summary..............................................................................................................................41
Chapter 6: Conclusion and recommendations...............................................................................42
6.0 Conclusion...........................................................................................................................42
6.1 Linking with objectives.......................................................................................................43
6.2 Recommendations................................................................................................................44
6.3 Future scope of the study.....................................................................................................45
References......................................................................................................................................46
Appendix 1.....................................................................................................................................51
Interview questions....................................................................................................................51

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Chapter 1: Introduction
1.0 Overview
Today’s workplace is still male dominant and the work culture is developed in such as way
that it facilities men to flourish more than women. Though the number of women at workplace
has increased but the existing gap and gender discrimination is nowhere near minimizing. It is
still hard for the workplace to believe that women are no less than men when it comes to
workplace roles and responsibilities (Adesoye et al. 2017). As an oil and gas sector is one of the
beaming industries, expectation from the senior management is extremely high and the
stereotypical thinking makes it hard for women to reach top management positions. Women are
often undervalued compared to men and are not given sufficient opportunities. After a certain
time, it is obvious that women are supposed to concentrate on their personal life. This often
restricts them from reaching top management positions because it is believed that if women are
given such posts, the gap created by them is difficult to fulfill and compensate (Newman 2014).
In addition to, the underlying views about women’s style of working affect the perception of
their ability to restrict them from reaching senior management positions in oil and gas sector.
1.1 Problem statement
Gender discrimination is a rising problem for business organizations across all sectors
and oil and gas sector is no different. In spite of being highly capable and responsible, the
women face tough time in making their way forward o the senior management position in oil and
gas sector. One of the main factors that restrict the journey of women to senior management
position is the existing stereotypical thinking that exists within the work culture (Patterson and
Walcutt 2014). Another issue is the existing perception about the ability of women associated