PROBLEM 8. GENDER DIFFERENCES 1
Gender, job challenge and career success: A theoretical
introduction (De Pater)
Challenging experiences: obstacles, problems and risky decisions to
make important during the (pre-) occupational years requirements of
advancement
Aim: enrich the existing research on whether male and female face
different challenging experiences as a determinant of success
Career success and gender gap
Career success: positive psychological or work-related outcomes or
achievements individuals have accumulate through work experience
Subjective: personal standards of achievement, accomplishment and
satisfaction
Objective: societies’ evaluation, observable career achievements
(objectively measured)
o Positive but moderate relationship between them
Glass-ceiling effect: skewed balance in managerial positions (female &
minorities are unrepresentative) feel blocked more turnover and less
productivity
Determinants of Career success and gender gap
Contextual/Organizational determinants
1. Opportunity structures: organization size, promotion ladders,
organizational growth, occupation type, line versus staff jobs and
functional area
Gender differences Occupation type (men are more in
industries and high paying occupations, women in women
dominated jobs, below average wages and little possibilities for
progression)
2. Social structures: gender compositions, gender of subordinates
and demographic similarity
Gender compositions impacts success (jobs with majority
women pay less and if majority men reduced possibilities of
advancement for women)
Gender of subordinates positively related to number of
women in management positions
3. Interpersonal context: social and instrumental support for career
advancement through informal social networks, mentoring and
career encouragement
a) Informal social networks: positively related to income and
managerial levels
GD: Women less access to informal networks than men,
benefit more
, PROBLEM 8. GENDER DIFFERENCES 2
b) Mentoring relationships: important for advancement, support
and mobility to protégé promotion, managerial level and overall
success
GD: insufficient research to conclude about differences
c) Encouragement for career advancement (from peers and
supervisors) increases employee’s self-confidence, training and
development (managerial advancement)
GD: It is helpful for women but they receive less than men
4. Promotion processes: promotion velocity and discrimination
a) Promotion velocity: starting at higher levels more promotions
GD: women enter in lower levels might hinder promotion
opportunity
b) Discrimination: against women is an explanation of not
advancing to senior level positions (not much empirical evidence
on that)
GD: Men more promotions, high levels than comparable
women
Individual determinants
1. Traits: ambition, masculinity, proactive personality, extraversion,
emotional stability and self-monitoring
Women in managerial position same traits as male counterparts
2. Family status: inconsistently related to males’ and females’ career
but might be slightly more negative on women’s careers.
3. Human capital: personal investments to increase value in
workplace
Human capital theory: investments in education, training and
work experience are considered the strongest and most consistent
predictors of career success
Work experience(time): positive relationship with advancement
but there are individual differences
GD: no such differences expt from female having less formal
training
General Conclusion: gender differences and gender gap in success
not explained by individual determinants
Quality of work experiences and their impact on career
advancement
Quality of experiences important for career advancement
(managerial development and success)
Job challenges: experienced when there are unusual problems to
solve difficult obstacles to overcome and risky decisions to make
Challenging job tasks in the first years of career more successful,
higher managerial level (after many years)
Explanations for impact of job challenge
Gender, job challenge and career success: A theoretical
introduction (De Pater)
Challenging experiences: obstacles, problems and risky decisions to
make important during the (pre-) occupational years requirements of
advancement
Aim: enrich the existing research on whether male and female face
different challenging experiences as a determinant of success
Career success and gender gap
Career success: positive psychological or work-related outcomes or
achievements individuals have accumulate through work experience
Subjective: personal standards of achievement, accomplishment and
satisfaction
Objective: societies’ evaluation, observable career achievements
(objectively measured)
o Positive but moderate relationship between them
Glass-ceiling effect: skewed balance in managerial positions (female &
minorities are unrepresentative) feel blocked more turnover and less
productivity
Determinants of Career success and gender gap
Contextual/Organizational determinants
1. Opportunity structures: organization size, promotion ladders,
organizational growth, occupation type, line versus staff jobs and
functional area
Gender differences Occupation type (men are more in
industries and high paying occupations, women in women
dominated jobs, below average wages and little possibilities for
progression)
2. Social structures: gender compositions, gender of subordinates
and demographic similarity
Gender compositions impacts success (jobs with majority
women pay less and if majority men reduced possibilities of
advancement for women)
Gender of subordinates positively related to number of
women in management positions
3. Interpersonal context: social and instrumental support for career
advancement through informal social networks, mentoring and
career encouragement
a) Informal social networks: positively related to income and
managerial levels
GD: Women less access to informal networks than men,
benefit more
, PROBLEM 8. GENDER DIFFERENCES 2
b) Mentoring relationships: important for advancement, support
and mobility to protégé promotion, managerial level and overall
success
GD: insufficient research to conclude about differences
c) Encouragement for career advancement (from peers and
supervisors) increases employee’s self-confidence, training and
development (managerial advancement)
GD: It is helpful for women but they receive less than men
4. Promotion processes: promotion velocity and discrimination
a) Promotion velocity: starting at higher levels more promotions
GD: women enter in lower levels might hinder promotion
opportunity
b) Discrimination: against women is an explanation of not
advancing to senior level positions (not much empirical evidence
on that)
GD: Men more promotions, high levels than comparable
women
Individual determinants
1. Traits: ambition, masculinity, proactive personality, extraversion,
emotional stability and self-monitoring
Women in managerial position same traits as male counterparts
2. Family status: inconsistently related to males’ and females’ career
but might be slightly more negative on women’s careers.
3. Human capital: personal investments to increase value in
workplace
Human capital theory: investments in education, training and
work experience are considered the strongest and most consistent
predictors of career success
Work experience(time): positive relationship with advancement
but there are individual differences
GD: no such differences expt from female having less formal
training
General Conclusion: gender differences and gender gap in success
not explained by individual determinants
Quality of work experiences and their impact on career
advancement
Quality of experiences important for career advancement
(managerial development and success)
Job challenges: experienced when there are unusual problems to
solve difficult obstacles to overcome and risky decisions to make
Challenging job tasks in the first years of career more successful,
higher managerial level (after many years)
Explanations for impact of job challenge
