Meraiah Foley
Biographic Data
| ID | 4083234 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Meraiah Foley |
| GIVEN NAMES | Meraiah |
| FAMILY NAME | Foley |
| SIGNATURE | FOLEY M |
| AFFILIATIONS | The University of Sydney Business School, Australia |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-1368-9049 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 15 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 50 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 15 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2018 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
Gendering Digitalization
Digitalization is re‐shaping the way work is organized, yet processes of digitalization have largely been examined in male‐dominated workplace contexts like manufacturing and logistics, often with little reference to gender dynamics. This paper explores how workers experience digitalization in the context of a female‐dominated occupation, that of supermarket checkout operators and cashiers. It examines whether gender inequality shapes employee ex…
Decoding the gendered imaginary of cybersecurity careers
Women account for less than one quarter of the global cybersecurity workforce. Encouraging more women into cybersecurity careers has been identified as one way to address persistent skills shortages in this crucial field. Using expert elicitation, this paper draws on in-depth interviews with 31 senior cybersecurity professionals in Australia to analyse the popular imaginaries that characterise cybersecurity careers. Applying social shaping of tec…
Everything now, all the time’
Digital workplace technologies have created a connectivity paradox in professional workplace settings. These technologies allow professionals greater spatial‐temporal control over their work, but also elevate expectations regarding responsiveness outside of working hours. This study examines how lawyers in Australia understand and navigate the connectivity paradox, given the rapid expansion of digital technologies during and after the Covid‐19 pa…
Workplace gender equality in the post-pandemic era
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed and accelerated many gendered labour market inequalities in Australia and around the world. In this introduction to our special issue, ‘Workplace Gender Equality: Where are we now and where to next?’, we examine the impact of the pandemic on women’s employment, labour force participation, earnings, unpaid care work and experience of gendered violence. We identify five key areas where action is urgently required to cr…
Women, work and industrial relations in Australia in 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic drove significant changes affecting women, work and industrial relations in Australia in 2020. This annual review explores the economic and social impact of the pandemic on women workers, and examines the gendered impact of key policy responses, including: the introduction of an historic temporary wage subsidy programme; the early release of superannuation funds; multiple economic stimulus measures, targeted mostly at male-d…
Change agents or defending the status quo? How senior leaders frame workplace gender equality
Senior leaders are usually understood to be ideally positioned to drive the organizational changes needed to promote workplace gender equality. Yet seniority also influences leaders' values and attitudes, and how they interpret evidence of inequalities, determine organizational priorities, and design and implement remedies. This article examines leaders' perceptions of workplace gender equality using system justification theory to explain survey …
Best person or best mix? How public sector managers understand the merit principle
As public sector organisations around the world enact strategies to progress gender equality, managers are forced to navigate the apparent conflict between making employment decisions on individual‐level ‘merit’ and considering the collective constraints and disadvantage that occur along gender lines. In this paper, we investigate how managers’ understandings of merit contribute to this tension. Analysing data collected in focus groups with 273 m…
Normative collusion in the industry ecosystem
Women are chronically under-represented in investment management, an industry that wields substantial global economic power. This article examines the sources of women’s under-representation, marginalization, and lack of progression within this crucial industry. We demonstrate that norms and practices generated within the industry ecosystem – comprised of industry-specific structures, actors, and interactions – collude to restrict women’s ability…
Women, work and industrial relations in Australia in 2019
Interest in women’s labour force participation, economic security and pay equity received substantial media and public policy attention throughout 2019, largely attributable to the federal election and the Australian Labor Party platform, which included a comprehensive suite of policies aimed at advancing workplace gender equality. Following the Australian Labor Party’s unexpected loss at the polls, however, workplace gender equality largely fade…
Understanding, ownership, or resistance
Gender inequality persists in the public services in many Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development countries, despite decades of policy and strategic initiatives designed to promote greater equality. Resistance to gender equality, characterized by opposition to change or support for the status quo, has emerged as one potential explanation for the disconnection between policies and outcomes. This article explores whether concepts of …
I’ll never be one of the boys’
Significant research has examined sexual harassment in male‐dominated occupations, but gender harassment — harassment that is not necessarily sexual in nature but is targeted at individuals, or a group of individuals, because of their sex or gender — has received relatively less attention. Drawing on in‐depth, semi‐structured interviews, we analyse the lived experience of gender harassment among women working as pilots and automotive tradespeople…
Representations of New Public Management in Australian Public Service gender equality policies
Purpose Governments have demonstrated a renewed interest in progressing gender equality for their workforces, including in Australia. This refocusing has resulted in a tranche of new gender equality policies being introduced into the Australian Public Service (APS). The purpose of this paper is to examine how New Public Management (NPM) is reflected in these gender equality policies and consider whether NPM may assist or hinder gender being “undo…
Does anonymising job applications reduce gender bias
Purpose Anonymous recruitment seeks to limit managers’ reliance on stereotypes in employment decisions, thereby reducing discrimination. This paper aims to explore how managers interpret the information embedded in anonymised job applications and how they interpret the organisational priorities driving the adoption of anonymous recruitment. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews with 30 managers in two Australian public sector org…
Unconscious Bias Training
Western Governments concerned about the lack of gender equity in their workforces are increasingly seeking to address the negative effects of unconscious biases on employment decisions to counter the effects of hidden prejudices. Although unconscious bias has received limited attention in the human resource literature, social psychology literature has identified inadequacies with this practice, including that such training may entrench and normal…
Managerial Perspectives on Implicit Bias, Affirmative Action, and Merit
Public sector organizations concerned about gender inequality have increasingly sought to address the effect of implicit biases on merit‐based employment practices through bias training and affirmative action programs. Applying qualitative content analysis to interviews with 104 managers in three government agencies in which bias training and affirmative action were being implemented, the authors find that many managers acknowledge the existence …
Change agents or defending the status quo? How senior leaders frame workplace gender equality
Senior leaders are usually understood to be ideally positioned to drive the organizational changes needed to promote workplace gender equality. Yet seniority also influences leaders' values and attitudes, and how they interpret evidence of inequalities, determine organizational priorities, and design and implement remedies. This article examines leaders' perceptions of workplace gender equality using system justification theory to explain survey …
I’ll never be one of the boys’
Significant research has examined sexual harassment in male‐dominated occupations, but gender harassment — harassment that is not necessarily sexual in nature but is targeted at individuals, or a group of individuals, because of their sex or gender — has received relatively less attention. Drawing on in‐depth, semi‐structured interviews, we analyse the lived experience of gender harassment among women working as pilots and automotive tradespeople…
Unconscious Bias Training
Western Governments concerned about the lack of gender equity in their workforces are increasingly seeking to address the negative effects of unconscious biases on employment decisions to counter the effects of hidden prejudices. Although unconscious bias has received limited attention in the human resource literature, social psychology literature has identified inadequacies with this practice, including that such training may entrench and normal…
Understanding, ownership, or resistance
Gender inequality persists in the public services in many Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development countries, despite decades of policy and strategic initiatives designed to promote greater equality. Resistance to gender equality, characterized by opposition to change or support for the status quo, has emerged as one potential explanation for the disconnection between policies and outcomes. This article explores whether concepts of …
Normative collusion in the industry ecosystem
Women are chronically under-represented in investment management, an industry that wields substantial global economic power. This article examines the sources of women’s under-representation, marginalization, and lack of progression within this crucial industry. We demonstrate that norms and practices generated within the industry ecosystem – comprised of industry-specific structures, actors, and interactions – collude to restrict women’s ability…
Everything now, all the time’
Digital workplace technologies have created a connectivity paradox in professional workplace settings. These technologies allow professionals greater spatial‐temporal control over their work, but also elevate expectations regarding responsiveness outside of working hours. This study examines how lawyers in Australia understand and navigate the connectivity paradox, given the rapid expansion of digital technologies during and after the Covid‐19 pa…
Best person or best mix? How public sector managers understand the merit principle
As public sector organisations around the world enact strategies to progress gender equality, managers are forced to navigate the apparent conflict between making employment decisions on individual‐level ‘merit’ and considering the collective constraints and disadvantage that occur along gender lines. In this paper, we investigate how managers’ understandings of merit contribute to this tension. Analysing data collected in focus groups with 273 m…
Does anonymising job applications reduce gender bias
Purpose Anonymous recruitment seeks to limit managers’ reliance on stereotypes in employment decisions, thereby reducing discrimination. This paper aims to explore how managers interpret the information embedded in anonymised job applications and how they interpret the organisational priorities driving the adoption of anonymous recruitment. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews with 30 managers in two Australian public sector org…
Unconscious Bias Training
Western Governments concerned about the lack of gender equity in their workforces are increasingly seeking to address the negative effects of unconscious biases on employment decisions to counter the effects of hidden prejudices. Although unconscious bias has received limited attention in the human resource literature, social psychology literature has identified inadequacies with this practice, including that such training may entrench and normal…
Managerial Perspectives on Implicit Bias, Affirmative Action, and Merit
Public sector organizations concerned about gender inequality have increasingly sought to address the effect of implicit biases on merit‐based employment practices through bias training and affirmative action programs. Applying qualitative content analysis to interviews with 104 managers in three government agencies in which bias training and affirmative action were being implemented, the authors find that many managers acknowledge the existence …
Representations of New Public Management in Australian Public Service gender equality policies
Purpose Governments have demonstrated a renewed interest in progressing gender equality for their workforces, including in Australia. This refocusing has resulted in a tranche of new gender equality policies being introduced into the Australian Public Service (APS). The purpose of this paper is to examine how New Public Management (NPM) is reflected in these gender equality policies and consider whether NPM may assist or hinder gender being “undo…
Women, work and industrial relations in Australia in 2019
Interest in women’s labour force participation, economic security and pay equity received substantial media and public policy attention throughout 2019, largely attributable to the federal election and the Australian Labor Party platform, which included a comprehensive suite of policies aimed at advancing workplace gender equality. Following the Australian Labor Party’s unexpected loss at the polls, however, workplace gender equality largely fade…
Understanding, ownership, or resistance
Gender inequality persists in the public services in many Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development countries, despite decades of policy and strategic initiatives designed to promote greater equality. Resistance to gender equality, characterized by opposition to change or support for the status quo, has emerged as one potential explanation for the disconnection between policies and outcomes. This article explores whether concepts of …
I’ll never be one of the boys’
Significant research has examined sexual harassment in male‐dominated occupations, but gender harassment — harassment that is not necessarily sexual in nature but is targeted at individuals, or a group of individuals, because of their sex or gender — has received relatively less attention. Drawing on in‐depth, semi‐structured interviews, we analyse the lived experience of gender harassment among women working as pilots and automotive tradespeople…
Workplace gender equality in the post-pandemic era
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed and accelerated many gendered labour market inequalities in Australia and around the world. In this introduction to our special issue, ‘Workplace Gender Equality: Where are we now and where to next?’, we examine the impact of the pandemic on women’s employment, labour force participation, earnings, unpaid care work and experience of gendered violence. We identify five key areas where action is urgently required to cr…
Women, work and industrial relations in Australia in 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic drove significant changes affecting women, work and industrial relations in Australia in 2020. This annual review explores the economic and social impact of the pandemic on women workers, and examines the gendered impact of key policy responses, including: the introduction of an historic temporary wage subsidy programme; the early release of superannuation funds; multiple economic stimulus measures, targeted mostly at male-d…
Change agents or defending the status quo? How senior leaders frame workplace gender equality
Senior leaders are usually understood to be ideally positioned to drive the organizational changes needed to promote workplace gender equality. Yet seniority also influences leaders' values and attitudes, and how they interpret evidence of inequalities, determine organizational priorities, and design and implement remedies. This article examines leaders' perceptions of workplace gender equality using system justification theory to explain survey …
Best person or best mix? How public sector managers understand the merit principle
As public sector organisations around the world enact strategies to progress gender equality, managers are forced to navigate the apparent conflict between making employment decisions on individual‐level ‘merit’ and considering the collective constraints and disadvantage that occur along gender lines. In this paper, we investigate how managers’ understandings of merit contribute to this tension. Analysing data collected in focus groups with 273 m…
Normative collusion in the industry ecosystem
Women are chronically under-represented in investment management, an industry that wields substantial global economic power. This article examines the sources of women’s under-representation, marginalization, and lack of progression within this crucial industry. We demonstrate that norms and practices generated within the industry ecosystem – comprised of industry-specific structures, actors, and interactions – collude to restrict women’s ability…
Everything now, all the time’
Digital workplace technologies have created a connectivity paradox in professional workplace settings. These technologies allow professionals greater spatial‐temporal control over their work, but also elevate expectations regarding responsiveness outside of working hours. This study examines how lawyers in Australia understand and navigate the connectivity paradox, given the rapid expansion of digital technologies during and after the Covid‐19 pa…
Decoding the gendered imaginary of cybersecurity careers
Women account for less than one quarter of the global cybersecurity workforce. Encouraging more women into cybersecurity careers has been identified as one way to address persistent skills shortages in this crucial field. Using expert elicitation, this paper draws on in-depth interviews with 31 senior cybersecurity professionals in Australia to analyse the popular imaginaries that characterise cybersecurity careers. Applying social shaping of tec…
Gendering Digitalization
Digitalization is re‐shaping the way work is organized, yet processes of digitalization have largely been examined in male‐dominated workplace contexts like manufacturing and logistics, often with little reference to gender dynamics. This paper explores how workers experience digitalization in the context of a female‐dominated occupation, that of supermarket checkout operators and cashiers. It examines whether gender inequality shapes employee ex…
Political science (13 works) · Gender Diversity and Inequality (10 works) · Sociology (10 works) · Law (8 works) · Public relations (8 works) · Gender Studies (7 works) · Economics (6 works) · Gender equality (6 works) · Gender Politics and Representation (6 works) · Inequality (6 works)