The Quality of Equality: Thinking Differently about Gender Inclusion in Organizations

This article discusses the concept of gender inclusion in organizations and challenges the assumption that having a certain percentage of women in the workforce means full inclusion. It explores the importance of quality over quantity and suggests strategies for achieving gender equality.

Human Resource Management International Digest
The quality of equality: thinking differently about gender inclusion in organizations
Maria Adamson Elisabeth K. Kelan Patricia Lewis Nick Rumens Martyna Slíwa
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Maria Adamson Elisabeth K. Kelan Patricia Lewis Nick Rumens Martyna Slíwa , (2016),"The quality of equality: thinking
differently about gender inclusion in organizations", Human Resource Management International Digest, Vol. 24 Iss 7 pp. 8 -
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The quality of equality: thinking differently
about gender inclusion in organizations
Maria Adamson, Elisabeth K. Kelan, Patricia Lewis, Nick Rumens and Martyna Slíwa
Maria Adamson is a
Senior Lecturer at the
Department of
Leadership Work and
Organisations, Middlesex
University Business
School, London, UK.
Elisabeth K. Kelan is a
Professor at the Cranfield
School of Management,
Cranfield, UK.
Patricia Lewis is based at
Kent Business School,
Canterbury, UK.
Nick Rumens is a
Professor at Portsmouth
Business School,
University of Portsmouth,
Portsmouth, UK.
Martyna Slíwa is a
Professor at Essex
Business School,
University of Essex,
Essex, UK.
Introduction
Inclusion of women has long been viewed as a critical priority in contemporary
organizations, and most companies offer a variety of policies beyond the legal minimum to
retain their female talent. However, consider the following questions:
Q1. If 50 per cent of staff in an organization are women, does it necessarily mean that
the workplace is fully inclusive?
Q2. Have contemporary workplaces completely eradicated inequality?
Q3. Has gender equality been achieved?
These are some of the questions debated in a series of recent seminars on Gendered
Inclusion in Contemporary Organizations funded by Economic and Social Research
Council.
Given a dramatic increase in the number of women in the UK engaged in paid employment,
standing at over 67 per cent in 2016 ( Office for National Statistics, 2016), it is easy to
assume that gender inclusion has been achieved. Indeed, the former chief of Marks and
Spenser has suggested that “women have never had it so good” (Hill, 2009) and, in the
words of Facebook’s CEO, Sheryl Sandberg, women simply need to “lean in” to succeed
because most gender barriers have apparently been dismantled.
While it is important to celebrate women’s success, experienced leaders and HR strategists
know that, as with any other complex organizational issue, it is important to remain vigilant.
After all, despite recent optimism, research continues to inform us that women still
experience a gender pay gap in many organizations, that they tend to be concentrated in
less well-paid and less prestigious sectors of the economy, and that they still comprise only
8.6 per cent of directors in large UK firms (Women on Boards, 2015). So why is this still the
case?
In the early days of the struggle for equality, the focus was on identifying various patterns
and mechanisms of exclusion. With the recent rise of equal opportunities, legislation and
the mainstreaming of equality and diversity policies, the discussion has shifted to
celebrating inclusion and appreciating the importance of hiring more women in
organizations. We suggest that the next step in tackling gender and diversity issues in
organizations is to shift our attention from numbers and targets to the quality of gender
inclusion and equality in the workplace.
From numbers to quality: asking different questions
Many organizations strive to hire more women, and, of course, if half your workforce are
women, it is a cause for celebration. After all, this means that the organization is already
This research is supported by
the Economic and Social
Research Council, Grant No
ES/N008685/1.
Viewpoint
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doing something right. However, it is important not to fall into the trap of counting heads,
ticking equality boxes and then forgetting about it. To sustain competitiveness and
innovation by recruiting and retaining the best talent, organizations need to ask new and
critical questions about the quality of gender inclusion.
We know that generalized statistics can be deceptive: for instance, they tend to obscure
many nuances. An experienced HR strategist who takes a proactive approach to equality
issues will probably ask not only “how many” but also “how” and “what types” of women are
included in an organization. Where are they located? What roles do they occupy? What kind
of women are they? Has our organization managed to challenge some of the gender
stereotypes and cultural biases?
Although we are used to thinking of exclusion as negative and inclusion as always positive,
looking beyond this rather simplistic bipolar view may open up new avenues for
improvement. So, where to start?
Thinking creatively and strategically about inclusion
Most companies that embed gender equality in their corporate strategy tend to look
beyond numbers and try to ensure deeper change to tackle ingrained gender inequalities.
Some recent initiatives include unconscious bias awareness training, mentoring schemes
for women, leadership training, and so on. These initiatives are important; however, they
deal with only one side of the gender inequality coin – the individual. They may empower
individuals within companies and help them to take responsibility and action. Yet, to tackle
the quality of inclusion strategically, the other side of the coin must also be addressed – the
responsibility and actions of the organization. Organizational responsibilities include
monitoring and modifying organizational structures and processes that systematically
hinder the quality and effectiveness of inclusion.
Some important areas that may need to be considered have been highlighted in recent
academic research. First, it is important to address “horizontal” skew. Research has
highlighted that women are concentrated in low-paid sectors of the economy, and in less
well-paid and less prestigious departments within organizations. To address this aspect of
inclusion, it is important to ask: where are the women? Are they concentrated in particular
areas and departments within an organization? If so, why is this the case? We know that a
“preference” for working in a certain department is not always a genuine choice. Is there
something about the culture of some departments that makes women avoid them and/or
prefer others? Is there something about the job advertisement and recruitment processes
that results in such distribution? By pigeonholing women into particular roles that seem
“more suitable”, the company may lose out on innovative ideas.
Second, it is important to address “vertical” skew. Research shows that while there may be
equal numbers of men and women at middle levels of management, the ratio becomes
skewed dramatically in the top positions. To address this aspect of inclusion, it is important
to pay close attention to the pipeline and organizational processes. We know that men and
women enter work with relatively similar ambitions to succeed, so what organizational
hurdles may lead women to scale down their ambitions? What level of support do they
receive throughout their career path? Do men and women have equal access to
opportunities? Are promotion practices fair and transparent? Does the company rely on
recruitment agencies that do not consider gender equality as a priority? What are the
profiles of “typical” women who make it to the top? Is there diversity in their profiles,
strengths, backgrounds and pathways to the top? If not, why are only certain kinds of
women able to succeed?
Third, organizations need to quality-check. Research suggests that although there may be
a similar number of women and men in employment, more women are employed on a
part-time basis, on less favorable contracts, and in jobs for which they are over-qualified.
To scrutinize this aspect of inclusion, it is vital to pay attention to the quality of women’s jobs
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in an organization. Do men and women in similar positions and levels of seniority have
equal work conditions and equal pay? Do more women than men seem to “opt out” into
part-time work or leave work, particularly at crucial moments in their lives, for instance,
during pregnancy or when childcare or elderly care responsibilities arise? As we know, a
“choice” is not always a genuine choice. In other words, it is important to examine whether
work conditions – for example, lack of support practices such as flexible working and
parental benefits, or the nature of organizational culture such as demands around
presenteeism or long working hours – might enable them to make different choices.
Finally, organizations should adopt a “balcony view”. As mentioned previously, embedding
individual solutions for equality and diversity into organizational culture is important, but the
responsibility of the organization is also to conduct systematic assessments of the gender
impact and outcomes of its various structures, as well as new policies and procedures. This
is because inequalities tend to find new, subtle and unexpected ways of reappearing. Too
often, organizations introduce a new policy and then firefight its negative impact on
equality. Reversing this pattern and making gender assessments before new policies and
procedures are introduced may allow smoother and more sustainable organizational
development and change.
Staying ahead of the curve
Of course, this is not an exhaustive list of issues that require consideration when moving
toward improvements in the quality of gender inclusion in organizations. Moreover, we have
looked at gender equality as an example, but this also applies to other aspects of diversity
in organizations.
However, the broader point made here is that regular and systematic reviews are required
when developing inclusive gender and diversity policies and initiatives in organizations.
Specifically, it is vital to focus on the quality of equality and inclusion alongside numerical
measures in order to foster and maintain the inclusive organizational climate that is so
crucial to retaining a competitive edge and staying ahead of the curve.
References
Hill, A. (2009), “Women have never had it so good at work, says M&S Chief”, The Guardian, 31 May
2009, available at: www.theguardian.com/business/2009/may/31/sir-stuart-rose-marksspencer
(accessed 28 April 2016).
Office for National Statistics (2016), UK Labor Market: April 2016, available at: www.ons.gov.uk/
employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/bulletins/uklabourmarket/
april2016#employment (accessed 28 April 2016).
Women on Boards (2015), Davies Review Annual Report, available at: www.gov.uk/government/
publications/women-on-boards-2015-fourth-annual-review (accessed 28 April 2016).
About the authors
Maria Adamson is a Senior Lecturer in Human Resource Management, Middlesex
University. Her research interests center on understanding gender inequality in
professional work, gendered workplace identities and the application of feminist theories
within the field of organization studies. She is Principal Investigator on the ESRC-funded
research seminar series Gendered Inclusion in Contemporary Organizations 2015-2018.
Maria Adamson is the corresponding author and can be contacted at:
[e-mail]
Elisabeth K. Kelan is a Professor of Leadership and the Director of the Cranfield
International Centre for Women Leaders, Cranfield School of Management. Her research
focuses on women and leadership, generations in organizations, leadership and diversity
and inclusion. She sits on the advisory board of the Women’s Empowerment Principles, a
partnership initiative of UN Women and the UN Global Compact.
Keywords:
Gender,
Inclusion,
Equal opportunities,
Gender equality strategy,
HR policy,
Women in organizations
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Patricia Lewis is a Reader in Management, University of Kent. Working in the area of
Gender and Organization Studies, her current research involves critical use of the concept
of post-feminism in understanding gendered organizational phenomena. She is Associate
Editor of Gender, Work & Organization and is editing a special issue and a book (published
by Routledge) on post-feminism and organizations.
Nick Rumens is a Professor in Human Resource Management, University of Portsmouth.
His research interests are lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) sexualities and genders
in the workplace. He has published on LGBT sexualities and genders in top management
journals, edited books and research monographs. Before his career in academia, Nick was
senior HR professional within the public sector.
Martyna Slíwa is a Professor of Management and Organization Studies at the University of
Essex. Her research interests focus on language(s) and power in organizations,
professional identities, professional mobility, intersectionality, and higher education.
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