Moving from problems to solutions

A review of gender equality interventions at work using an ecological systems approach

Bibliographic Data

ID14854652
AuthorsVienne Wing-yan Lau (0000-0001-8758-2506, Department of Management Gettysburg College Gettysburg Pennsylvania USA, corresponding author), Veronica L Scott (School of Social Science, Policy & Evaluation Claremont Graduate University Claremont California USA), Meg Aum Warren (0000-0002-7462-3580, Department of Management Western Washington University Bellingham Washington USA), Michelle C Bligh (0000-0001-9714-8674, School of Social Science, Policy & Evaluation Claremont Graduate University Claremont California USA)
Year2023
Volume44
Issue2
Pages399-419
Publication date2023-02-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Organizational Behavior (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0894-3796 • E-ISSN: 1099-1379
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/job.2654
OpenAlexW4283688923
LanguageEN
Citations received14
References cited181

Despite the mounting research on gender inequality in the workplace, progress toward gender parity in organizational practice has stalled. We suggest that one reason for the lack of progress is that empirical research has predominately focused on the antecedents and manifestations of gender inequality in the workplace, paying inadequate attention to the solutions that could potentially improve gender equality and women's experiences at work. Indeed, we report here that less than 5% of the relevant studies published in preeminent management, psychology, and diversity journals since the turn of the century identify practical interventions for solving gender inequality in organizations. To advance gender equality at work, we argue that a paradigm shift from problems to solutions is critical and urgent. Using ecological systems theory as our guiding framework, we present an integrative review of gender equality interventions spanning across the management, psychology, and feminist literature over the past two decades at the ontogenic system, interpersonal microsystem, and organizational microsystem levels of analysis. We subsequently provide an overview of domains not currently addressed in extant research (mesosystems, macrosystems, and chronosystems) and identify future research directions to spur progress toward workplace gender equality

Corporate governance · Extant taxon · Gender diversity · Gender inequality · Inequality · Management · Psychological intervention · Sociology · Gender Diversity and Inequality · Job Satisfaction and Organizational Behavior · Psychology · Social Psychology · Work-Family Balance Challenges

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