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Gender-Balanced Seats, Equal Power and Greater Gender Equality
Literature Item
Author Information:
Name: Sara Falcão Casaca, Susana Ramalho Marques, Maria João Guedes, Cathrien Seierstad
Email: None
Website: https://estudogeral.uc.pt/
Abstract:
AIM: This paper seeks to analyse the potential for change in the gender quota law on corporate boards in Portugal. This is achieved by incorporating concepts and insights drawn from political science and the study of quotas in politics and adjusting these to the boardroom context. It adds to the literature on women on boards by shedding light on the importance of looking at descriptive representation, substantive representation, substantive equality and transformative institutional change, in order to understand a quota law’s potential for eliciting gender balance in the boardroom, as well as greater gender equality in directorship positions, in board dynamics and at the workplace level. This study uses multi-strategy research methods. Evidence provided by the quantitative analysis of survey data, combined with the qualitative analysis of interviews undertaken with female and male board members and the contents of Gender Equality Action Plans (GEAPs), shows that there have been some changes in terms of descriptive representation, but fewer in relation to substantive equality, as men are still largely over-represented in positions associated with effective power and influence over decision-making. Moreover, although the promotion of gender equality at the workplace is valued by both groups, and particularly so by women, weaknesses have been found in the materialisation of such a commitment (substantive representation) through the adoption of GEAPs designed to tackle gendered patterns at the workplace (transformative institutional change).
Keywords:
gender; women on boards; transformative institutional change; gender mainstreaming;
Dates:
July 14, 2022 - None
Source Specificity:
Initiative/Practice/Project/Programme/Case Studies
Website:
http://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/11/10/449
Power Domains:
Political, Economic
Methods Tools:
Competence development, Networking, Benchmarking
Country:
PT
City:
Coimbra
Implementation Scale:
national
Language:
English
Other Links:
https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci11100449
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