Corporate women and men
A recently published research study reveals the damage caused by gender stereotypes
Women and men at the head of a company. A perennial (and often useless) comparison around which conflicts arise also because of insufficient knowledge of actual reality. In order to bring some clarity, Mariasole Bannò and Giorgia Maria D’Allura have conducted their research with the particular aim of proposing an interpretative framework and empirical validation concerning the impact women CEOs have, looking at three main themes: the innovation, internationalisation and sustainability of the companies themselves. Starting from an assumption: “The strategic choices and behaviour of companies can be at least in part explained by the profile of those who govern them.” Highlighting, however, a given fact: “Obviously, there is no correlation between the skills and competences of people at the top and their gender. Nonetheless, the gender composition of governance bodies has widely attracted the attention of researchers and has been studied from several theoretical perspectives. The scientific output generated so far deserves attention in terms of a topic central to gender studies: stereotypes.”
This research work provides an overview of the main studies but also attempts to outline a new, and especially balanced, interpretation, of situations that arise within companies.
Bannò and D’Allura first examine European and Italian statistics related to gender inequality, and then take into consideration the contribution of feminist and managerial theories, while in the second part, the two researchers tackle the three themes in need of a more accurate interpretation.
Amongst their conclusions, the researchers note how, on Board of Directors, “women are token members when there are only a few of them and as such are not listened to, while when reaching a critical number they feel they can express themselves freely and that they will be listened to”, but also that it all depends on the kind of company under consideration.
Bannò and D’Allura especially emphasise that “The literature summarised (…) clearly shows that the current misconception about women’s skills and competences must be revised.” However, we need a “new managerial approach focused on developing the awareness that while skills or competences are not tied to gender, there are contexts in which stereotypes influence the assessment of such competences.”
Donne e governo d’impresa. Prospettive teoriche ed evidenze empiriche (“Women and corporate governance. Theoretical perspectives and empirical evidence”)
Mariasole Bannò, Giorgia Maria D’Allura
Franco Angeli Open Access, 2022
A recently published research study reveals the damage caused by gender stereotypes
Women and men at the head of a company. A perennial (and often useless) comparison around which conflicts arise also because of insufficient knowledge of actual reality. In order to bring some clarity, Mariasole Bannò and Giorgia Maria D’Allura have conducted their research with the particular aim of proposing an interpretative framework and empirical validation concerning the impact women CEOs have, looking at three main themes: the innovation, internationalisation and sustainability of the companies themselves. Starting from an assumption: “The strategic choices and behaviour of companies can be at least in part explained by the profile of those who govern them.” Highlighting, however, a given fact: “Obviously, there is no correlation between the skills and competences of people at the top and their gender. Nonetheless, the gender composition of governance bodies has widely attracted the attention of researchers and has been studied from several theoretical perspectives. The scientific output generated so far deserves attention in terms of a topic central to gender studies: stereotypes.”
This research work provides an overview of the main studies but also attempts to outline a new, and especially balanced, interpretation, of situations that arise within companies.
Bannò and D’Allura first examine European and Italian statistics related to gender inequality, and then take into consideration the contribution of feminist and managerial theories, while in the second part, the two researchers tackle the three themes in need of a more accurate interpretation.
Amongst their conclusions, the researchers note how, on Board of Directors, “women are token members when there are only a few of them and as such are not listened to, while when reaching a critical number they feel they can express themselves freely and that they will be listened to”, but also that it all depends on the kind of company under consideration.
Bannò and D’Allura especially emphasise that “The literature summarised (…) clearly shows that the current misconception about women’s skills and competences must be revised.” However, we need a “new managerial approach focused on developing the awareness that while skills or competences are not tied to gender, there are contexts in which stereotypes influence the assessment of such competences.”
Donne e governo d’impresa. Prospettive teoriche ed evidenze empiriche (“Women and corporate governance. Theoretical perspectives and empirical evidence”)
Mariasole Bannò, Giorgia Maria D’Allura
Franco Angeli Open Access, 2022