Interactive Catalogue

What does “gender equality” mean? Social representations of gender equality in the workplace among French workers

Literature Item

Author Information:

Name: Clotilde Coron, Sorbonne Business School

Email: None

Website: None

Abstract:

Purpose– This work deals with social representations of gender equality in the workplace. Little academic work deals with the way workers define gender equality. Also deals with the implications of this definition in terms of policy implementation. Design/methodology/approach– This work is based on a mixed-method approach. A quantitative study based on an online survey conducted in 2015 at a French company is mobilized to identify and measure the main representations of gender equality among the workers. Then, a qualitative study is used to explore these representations in depth and to examine how they influence the implementation of policy on gender equality. Findings– This work shows that for French workers, equal pay and equal access to responsibilities are the most important dimensions of gender equality, while gender diversity and work-life balance seem less important. The representation of gender equality varies according to gender, professional field and managerial status. These variations help to understand the difficulty of implementing such policy. Practical implications– Managerially, these results would strongly indicate that companies in France, but also in other developed countries, should consider carrying out awareness campaigns aimed at employees in order to promote a common culture and definition of gender equality. Indeed, the coexistence of various representations of gender equality partly explains the insufficient implementation—and thus the poor performance and general effectiveness of gender equality policies, both in theoretical and practical terms. Originality/value–This study deals with social representations of gender equality in France, a subject which has been largely neglected or overlooked in existing fields of gender research. The international literature on gender equality shows that variations in representations of gender equality constitute a major subject for research and policies about gender, whatever the country. However, this topic still remains inadequately addressed. This research aims to strengthen such research literature dedicated to the issue of gender equality.

Keywords:

Gender studies, Gender equality at workplace, gender roles

Dates:

Nov. 5, 2020 - None

Source Specificity:

Initiative/Practice/Project/Programme/Case Studies

Website:

https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/EDI-06-2019-0185/full/html

Power Domains:

Political, Social

Methods Tools:

Awareness-raising, Benchmarking

Country:

FR

City:

None

Implementation Scale:

national

Language:

English

Other Links:

https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/EDI-06-2019-0185/full/html