Organizing exclusion

A qualitative study of gendered recruitment practices in Nordic banking

Bibliographic Data

ID19227718
AuthorsUnnar Theodorsson (0000-0003-4393-9133, University of Iceland), Kári Kristinsson (0000-0001-9550-1235, University of Iceland), Svala Guðmundsdóttir (0000-0002-8331-2055, University of Iceland), Þröstur Olaf Sigurjónsson (0000-0001-6598-9065, University of Iceland), Throstur Olaf Sigurjonsson (University of Iceland Department of Business Administration)
Year2026
Pages1-17
Publication date2026-05-20
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Organizational Ethnography (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2046-6749 • E-ISSN: 2046-6757
PublisherEmerald Publishing Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1108/joe-05-2025-0052
OpenAlexW7161779742
LanguageEN
References cited27

Purpose This study investigates how informal recruitment practices in Nordic banking institutions reproduce gendered exclusion beneath formal equality policies. Although Iceland and Denmark are globally recognized for progressive gender frameworks, specialist-level hiring continues to reflect implicit organizational logics that often disadvantage women. Design/methodology/approach Based on 32 semi-structured interviews with HR professionals, external recruiters, mid-level managers and specialists from major banks in Iceland and Denmark, the study uses an interpretivist, qualitative interview design with grounded theory–inspired coding. It explores how hiring criteria like “fit,” “stability” and “risk” operate as coded mechanisms of exclusion, especially for women with caregiving roles or non-linear career paths. Findings The analysis reveals how informal organizational “playbooks” sustain bias and homosocial reproduction despite formal commitments to gender equality. Women often respond through strategic navigation. This includes managing self-presentation, emphasizing performance and building informal support networks. The analysis identifies four organizational playbooks that shape how candidate signals are interpreted, and a process model illustrating how these playbooks reproduce exclusion and how candidates strategically respond. Originality/value The paper shifts focus from leadership diversity to the specialist tier, where long-term career paths are shaped. It contributes to organizational and gender theory by showing how inequality is embedded in routine hiring decisions. The findings offer practical and theoretical insights into recruitment as both a mechanism of exclusion and a potential site for change

Career Pathways · Disadvantage · Diversity (politics) · Gender inequality · Grounded theory · Inequality · Participant observation · Process (computing) · Qualitative research · Reproduction · Gender Diversity and Inequality · Human Resource and Talent Management · Management and Organizational Studies

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