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Gender Studies

Introduction

The presented paper discusses the problem of gender inequality in leadership positions, in different types of organizations. The complex assessment of the existing problems with access to leadership positions for females should contribute to better understanding of the factors that contribute to such state of affairs, and the development of the alternative solutions that would guarantee the improvement of the situation with gender equality in this sector. The relevance of the presented study is explained by the fact that the modern researchers keep stating the fact of gender inequality exists in leadership positions in the United States and other countries (Hoobler, Lemmon, & Wayne, 2014, p. 703). The presented arguments should motivate the researchers to discuss the existing issue with gender inequality in leadership positions to be capable to contribute to the improvement of the existing situation.

Statement of the Problem

In the current conditions, the role of males in leadership positions in different organizations is definitely stronger compared to females, and women usually face the issue of underrepresentation in senior leadership teams of different types of organizations (Adamma, 2017, p. 8341). In these conditions, the role of females in the leadership positions is usually underestimated, as a result of the influence of different factors, including stereotypes, cultural values and beliefs, leadership oppression to changes and modernization of management strategy, and other factors that create barriers for effective realization of females’ candidates for senior leadership positions. According to Ho, Li, Tam, & Zhang (2014), male Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and senior leaders dominate the workforce, so there is a substantial amount of literature on male decision making and leadership characteristics in leadership positions. However, other research has a significantly lower female sample size, such as Hoobler et al. (2014, p. 703), with only 15.2 percent of female participants. In this situation, different research groups quite usually present opposite or unconnected positions on the question of gender inequality issue development. Some experts argued that the problem of gender inequality in the leadership segment of the organizations is less relevant, and others present a quite pessimistic and concerning the image of the current situation. In these conditions, the detailed analysis of the existing state of affairs in the sector of gender inequality in the workplace, especially in the leading sector of organizations, is required to figure out the existing level of problem relevance, and importance of its resolution.

Together with this, the problem of gender inequality in the management structure of modern organizations is connected with the proper assessment of the possible positive and negative outcomes of the existing situation, and possible improvement of the positions of females in the modern organizations. In this context, the problem that should be discussed is connected with the existing barriers to effective performance of organizations that are created by the issue of gender inequality, and the positive outcomes that could be guaranteed by the improvement of the situation in this sphere. In the context of the presented problem, the recent researches demonstrated that females in leading positions present a higher level of masculinity compared to males and can build a more effective model of collaboration in the team due to a higher level of flexibility in communications compared to males (Cuadrado García‐Ael, & Molero, 2015, p. 237). At the same time, other authors stated that females are more productive as CEO’s compared to males (Eduardo & Poole, 2016, p. 1), and can generate a higher level of benefits for the organization (Flabbi, Macis, Moro, & Schivardi, 2016, p. 5). At the same time, the limitations that are created by existing gender inequality problem in the organizations include the following: reduced level of motivation for females to effectively operate in the organization (Brands & Fernandez-Mateo, 2017, p. 405) and absence of encouragement for professional development due to absence of observable opportunities for career growth (Hoobler et al., 2014, p. 703). In these conditions, lack of proper discussion of the problems connected with gender inequality in the workplace does not only generate additional risks for female employees. This problem can also affect the general performance of the organization, reducing opportunities for effective development of business and realization of functions of the not-for-profit organizations. All the stated problems should be discussed properly to define the main conditions of the existing issue and propose effective and reliable solutions.

Purpose of the Study

According to the presented problem statement, the purpose of the research would relate to the discussion of the relevance of the problem of gender inequality in modern organizations in the U.S. Despite the fact that the problem of gender inequality in organizations management had been discussed earlier, the recent studies demonstrate the importance of additional analysis of the stated theme, to be able to adequately assess the factors that mainly contribute to the development of the problem at its current level (Adams, 2015, p. 371; Joshi, Neely, Emrich, Griffiths, & George, 2015, p. 1459; McCarthy, 2017, p. 604). In these conditions, a more detailed analysis of the level of relevance of the problem of gender inequality in the United States will be required in the context of the presented study.

While the presented paper is supposed to contribute to the careful assessment of the relevance of the gender inequality issue in the US, this is not the only purpose of the study. Together with this, it will be important to perform a careful assessment of the current conditions of females in the workplace and analyze the influence of gender inequality issue on their perception of the working process and work motivation. In this context, previous researches highlighted that the existence of the issue of gender inequality in the organizations can generate the issue of the reduced level of females’ motivation for professional growth and improvement of their skills. Since females see no opportunities for development in the company, it is obvious they would not demonstrate desire and motivation for development. In this context, it is important to analyze the relevance of the stated argument for female employees in the US, to be able to assess the real level of negative impact for the organizations caused by the absence of the proper gender equality politics. This argument should become a strong tool in the process of realization of equal approach to gender politics realization in different organizations. To realize the discussed purpose, the method of qualitative analysis of focus groups should be applied. In this context, the researchers will perform a survey assessment of responses of female employees at different hierarchical levels of leading US companies.

The significance of the presented study is connected with the relevance of the issue of gender inequality, and the demonstrated negative outcomes of this issue. In fact, recent studies demonstrated that women are underrepresented in leadership positions in different spheres, including healthcare (Kuhlmann et al., 2017, p. 2), business (Lewis, 2018, p. 17) and education (Longman & Anderson, 2011, p. 422). In the presented conditions, the relevance of the issue and the absence of serious successes in its resolution defines the importance of the presented study. It will be useful to analyze and estimate the current level of relevance of the gender inequality issue to define the need for changes in this sphere.

At the same time, the importance of the discussed problem is explained by the fact of serious negative impacts caused by the development of gender inequality phenomenon for the organization. Due to the existence of this issue, females receive lower opportunities for professional development and the full realization of their potential. In the conditions of current business development, the lack of realization of females’ professional capabilities can be considered as a serious loss for the management of the organizations. This issue should be carefully discussed to demonstrate the relevance of the existing barriers to gender inequality issue for the organization’s management. While the discussion of abstract themes of gender equality and just society may be considered as unpersuasive for the leadership segment of the modern company, the presentation of direct losses that are caused by the preservation of existing situation of gender inequality should serve as a considerably more persuasive argument for the management of the business and not-for-profit organizations. The definition of additional arguments for negotiations about the role of gender equality in organizations should be considered as one of the main contributions of the presented study.

Finally, the importance of the presented study relates to the complex assessment of different factors affecting the problem of gender inequality in the organizations. While many other researchers contributed to the resolution of this problem, no complex assessment of different factors of the issue was provided. In this way, different research groups provided an assessment of factors of culture, stereotypes, males’ perception, females’ passivity and other factors as the contributors to the issue of gender inequality. At the same time, no complex assessment of the problem was provided for the aims of clear identification of most important and serious factors. In this context, the presented study is supposed to solve the existing questions connected with the definition of contributing factors and present the complex model of major problem factors assessment.

Research Questions

As it was stated, the presented paper aims to analyze the level of relevance of gender inequality issue in the US, analyze negative impacts on female employees in the country, and analyze the factors of influence on the existing situation in the discussed sphere. According to the stated problems of the research, the following research questions will be analyzed:

Question 1: “What is the actual level of gender inequality in the US? Is it possible to say that the situation had changed dramatically during the last decade?”. This question should allow the researchers to provide a long-term assessment of changes in the issue of gender inequality, analyze the current level of the problem and recent changes that took place.

Question 2: “Does the problem of gender inequality actually contribute to the lower level of motivation for females in the workplace?” In the context of this question, it will be important to analyze the negative impact of gender inequality on females’ productivity and use the findings as the main argument for existing issue’s resolution in the workplace.

Question 3: “What are the key factors that cause the development of the gender inequality issue in the organizations?” The assessment of females’ positions on the issue of sources of gender inequality should allow the researchers to form complex position about sources of gender inequality problem and offer alternative solutions to improve the existing situation.

Hypotheses

Based on the stated research questions, the following hypotheses can be offered for the presented research:

· Gender inequality level in the US is currently low;

· Gender inequality level in the US is currently moderate to high;

· Gender inequality issue does not actually affect the level of motivation for females;

· Gender inequality issue affects the level of motivation for females;

· Existing stereotypes and cultural norms should be considered as main factors of gender inequality issue development;

· Females’ passive attitude and lack of motivation should be considered as the only factors of gender inequality issue.