The Underrepresentation of Women in Leadership Positions in Rural Russia

Abstract

Numerous studies have documented the persistence of gender inequality in rural Russia, including the underrepresentation of women in leadership positions. A survey (N = 169) conducted in two rural Russian regions examined residents' explanations of gender inequality and their support for various remedies to ameliorate this situation. Both male and female respondents downplay outright discrimination in accounting for gender‐based occupational inequalities. Instead, respondents are more likely to agree with explanations that are embedded in cultural notions of a traditional gender‐based division of labor, in which the home responsibilities for women and a “natural” advantage of masculinity make it less likely that women become leaders. With respect to strategies for encouraging women to be leaders, both men and women support “more training” and “more husband help at home,” with women being slightly more positive on the latter item.

Glass Ceiling Paradox and Women’s Career Progression: A Case of Female Employees in Colombo Port, Sri Lanka

“…For the past few decades, this underrepresentation and the slow rise of women in leadership positions on the corporate ladder have been a source of contention around the world. This gender imbalance in leadership roles has been well-documented and acknowledged by various studies and reports in countries such as Australia (Still, 2006;Maginn, 2010;Maginn et al, 2018), the United Kingdom (Morley, 1994;Wearing and Bob, 2004;Thomson, Graham and Lloyd, 2008), Russia (O'Brien & Wegren, 2015), US (Fassinger, 2008;Varma, 2018), China (Tan, 2008;Xiang, Ingram and Cangemi, 2017), South Africa (Mathur-Helm, 2006;Booysen & Nkomo, 2010), France (Barnet-Verzat & Wolff, 2008;Jellal, Nordman & Wolff, 2008), etc. In addition, according to Sri Lanka Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2021, the rate of women serving as senior officials, directors, and managers of organizations is lower than the rate of men (2.3 percent), and the percentage of women working in managerial roles is still lower than that of men (19.5 percent) (Department of Census & Statistics, 2021).…”

The Third Shift? Gender and Empowerment in a Women’s Ecotourism Cooperative

“…A “second shift” (reproductive role) of unpaid work caring for families and household can be even more demanding than “first shift” employment outside the home (Castellano ; Hochschild and Machung ). This leaves scarce time and energy for women to develop their own personal aspirations, skills, and interests (O’Brien and Wegren ). We argue that despite women’s interest in ecotourism entrepreneurship, committing to another activity beyond paid employment and household work can become a triple burden (or “third shift”) that, given other demands, may be too difficult to successfully pursue.…”

“I Don’t Want to Work in Agriculture!” The Transition from Agricultural Education to the Labor Market in Rural Russia

“…The probability of becoming unemployed is high, especially for females, who often end up with less stable jobs (Bühler and Konietzka ). Additionally, women are underrepresented in leadership positions in agricultural enterprises (O’Brien and Wegren ). Beside these difficulties, female agricultural graduates’ incentives to pursue careers in other sectors may result in long‐term unemployment.…”