Joining the Dark Side: Women in Management in the Dominican Republic

Abstract

This article presents evidence of the challenges faced by women in management in their interactions with men and other women, contesting the idea that men organizationally oppress women and suggesting instead that both men and women can be organizational oppressors of women. Using empirical evidence, this article provides new insights into the working lives and challenges of women in a Latin American and Hispanic Caribbean context. The article highlights struggles of power and credibility in women in management's relationships with men and other women. It draws on findings of research conducted in the public sector in the Dominican Republic, where in‐depth semi‐structured interviews were conducted with professional men and women. This article has significant implications for advancing understanding of the dynamics of gender and organizations in developing countries, in particular, the experiences of women in management.

Virtual Work and Work-Life Balance for Managers

“…Thus, women in managerial positions have more daily responsibility for family and children than their male counterparts. This is in line with Rodriguez (2011) who notes that female managers still meet hindrances related to family responsibilities that their male counterparts do not face. In a recent study, Heikkinen, Lämsä, & Hiillos (2013) show that female managers in Finland in general do not challenge the traditional gender order in their families.…”

“…It might be that women who work as long as 60 hours a week, and additionally are most likely to have a spouse who works as many hours as they themselves, find it difficult to continue to work when they are finally home after a long day at the office. In other words, even if they might like the possibilities of moving work to the home instead of staying at the workplace, their main responsibility for the family (Rafnsdóttir & Heijstra, 2013;Rodriguez, 2011) might make them experience overly negative spread effects from work to the family if they continue working while at home.…”

Contradictions concerning care: Female surgeons' accounts of the repression and resurfacing of care in their profession

“…This resonates with research on women in other STEMM fields, for example, several studies of women in science and engineering (Faulkner, 2009;Haas, Koeszegi, & Zedlacher, 2016;Hatmaker, 2013;Rhoton, 2011;Rodriguez, 2013) have shown how they are called upon to "justify their presence" (p. 400) because their occupation is considered to be 'gender in/authentic' (Faulkner, 2009), due to the persistent gendered binary between technical and social skills and the masculine-typing of the occupation. In various ways, their gender may be foregrounded in an attempt to call into question their professional competence, for example, by sexualizing them, doubting their technical abilities, ignoring their contributions (Rodriguez, 2013), or expecting them to nurture others in the workplace, particularly if they are already mothers (Faulkner, 2009). mistaken for being a secretary, see Faulkner, 2009).…”

“…Webster et al, 2016). This resonates with research on women in other STEMM fields, for example, several studies of women in science and engineering (Faulkner, 2009;Haas, Koeszegi, & Zedlacher, 2016;Hatmaker, 2013;Rhoton, 2011;Rodriguez, 2013) have shown how they are called upon to "justify their presence" (p. 400) because their occupation is considered to be 'gender in/authentic' (Faulkner, 2009), due to the persistent gendered binary between technical and social skills and the masculine-typing of the occupation. As a consequence, regardless of their qualifications, seniority and experience, in interactions with others, their presence may be contested and 'misrecognised' (e.g.…”

Women's Experience of Workplace Interactions in Male‐Dominated Work: The Intersections of Gender, Sexuality and Occupational Group

“…Nevertheless, women's perceptions and expectations of working with other women are revealing about the contexts in which they work. For women in a gender minority, contact with other women can either be a source of support or competition (Rodriguez, 2013). Interactions with male colleagues are, of course, prominent in male-dominated workplaces.…”