Gender Balance in Executive Management: Top-Managers' Understanding of Barriers and Solutions from the Demand–Supply Perspective

• Published in: Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State & Society
• Main Authors: Axelsdóttir, Laufey, Halrynjo, Sigtona
• Other Authors: Stjórnmálafræðideild (HÍ), Faculty of Political Science (UI), Félagsvísindasvið (HÍ), School of Social Sciences (UI), Háskóli Íslands, University of Iceland
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford University Press (OUP) 2018
• Subjects: Konur; Jafnréttismál; Stjórnendur; Stjórnir; Menntun; Norway; Iceland
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/880; https://doi.org/10.1093/sp/jxy012

Publisher's version (útgefin grein) The under-representation of women in executive management stands in contrast to their educational attainment, and labor market participation in most countries. This paper examines to what degree top-managers in the gender equal states, Iceland and Norway, agree with established demand–supply explanations of the problem, and suggested instruments for solutions. Drawing on a quantitative dataset of 908 managers in the 250 largest companies, the results emphasize that the divide between demand- and supply-side barriers and solutions may be less clear-cut in practice than theory. Our findings suggest a combination of demand- and supply-policies to enhance gender balance in top-executive management. This project was supported by the Icelandic Centre for Research (grant number 141630-51), the Norwegian Research Council (grant number 236770), and by CORE—Centre for Research on Gender Equality (grant number 10212). Peer Reviewed