Women are still significantly underrepresented in Top Management positions and leadership is still associated with the male gender as leadership theories traditionally focus on men. This is especially evident in China which has one of the world’s highest female labor participation but a female share of only eight percent on the corporate boards. Although Chinese women’s tertiary educational attainment is now equal to the tertiary education of Chinese men they still face many barriers on their way to the top. The strong influence of Confucian values perceiving women as inferior to men remains noticeable until today and women find themselves exposed to a strongly patriarchal business environment.
As being traditionally the main care-givers of their families they are deemed to be expensive potential mothers and thus gender- preference can be observed. second Classical leadership theories of the Western culture as well as of the Chinese culture are introduced to provide a common understanding of their approaches.
Further the situation of women in the past and of today is being compared as well as their leadership styles, access to managerial leadership positions and the barriers they face. Since educational attainment of both genders does not explain why women are rarely found on the upper managerial ranks, other reasons that could be a barrier for women’s career advancement are examined in this research.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Understanding of Leadership
2.1 Definitions of Leadership
2.2 Western Leadership Theories
2.3 New Leadership theories
2.4 Chinese Leadership Theories
2.5 Cultural Differences between Western and Chinese Leadership Paradigms
2.6 Conceptual Delineation of Management and Leadership
3. Women in Managerial Leadership
3.1 Changes in Western and Chinese society
3.2 Feminist Leadership Theories
3.3 Women’s Visible and Invisible Impediments to the Top
3.4 Educational Advancement of Chinese and German Women
3.5 The Impact of Gender Diversity
3.5.1 Women’s Labor Participation
3.5.2 Gender payment gaps
3.6 Personality Traits, Intelligence and Skills as Leadership Predictors
3.6.1 The Big Five Personality Traits
3.6.2 Cultural Influence on Personality Traits
3.6.3 Intelligence in the Context of Leadership Emergence
3.7 Gender differences in Personality Traits and Intelligence
4. Research Model
4.1 Hypothesis and Research Questions
4.2 Research Methodology
4.3 Data Collection
5. Results
6. Discussion
6.1 Conclusions
6.2 Recommendations
Research Objectives and Thematic Focus
This master thesis investigates the significant underrepresentation of women in top management positions within the People's Republic of China, despite high female labor participation rates and equal educational attainment. The central research question explores why women face barriers in advancing to upper managerial ranks, analyzing the influence of Confucian cultural values, gender stereotyping, and organizational practices compared to Western standards, specifically Germany.
- Historical and cultural analysis of women's roles in Chinese and Western societies.
- Investigation of trait-based and skills-based leadership theories in relation to gender.
- Examination of visible and invisible barriers, including "guanxi" and family responsibilities.
- Empirical study using the Big Five Personality Traits (NEO-PI-R) to compare gender profiles and desired leadership qualities.
- Evaluation of corporate support mechanisms and their impact on female career advancement.
Excerpt from the Book
3.3 Women’s Visible and Invisible Impediments to Top Management
Eagly and Karau suggest three categories to assess gender differences in the leadership context: attitude, access and evaluation (Eagly & Karau, Role Congruity Theory of Prejudice Toward Female Leaders., 2002). Attitude can be defined as “a settled way of thinking or feeling about something” (Oxford Dictionaries, 2012) and thus attitude refers to people’s perception of women and their gender role in society. These have direct and indirect influence on women’s access to leading positions. Eagly & Carli state that gender has multidimensional levels including gender-stereotyping, gender-role identity and social role expectancies which therefore represent visible as well as invisible barriers for women (Eagly & Carli, Through the Labyrinth: The Truth About How Women Become Leaders, 2007).
In the Western countries, the tremendous changes society enhanced women’s status. Nevertheless, women of most Western cultures also still have to face gender-stereotypes and struggle with subtle unconscious and conscious discrimination which is hard to prove since it is not evident (Valerio, 2009). Chinese women are even confronted with obvious discrimination and have to fulfill social-role expectancies as a heritage of the deeply internalized Confucian values. They encounter disturbing difficulties at all job levels, whether they seek employment as factory workers, as university graduates or as managers. A survey of the Women's Federation of Jiangsu Province of 2007 reported that out of 1100 university graduates, 80 percent of the female graduates, experienced significant social, economic and political inequalities (All-China Women's Federation, 2002). So, the access to the upper ranks in political powerful positions or managerial positions is almost denied to Chinese women. Further, they are the first to be laid-off in companies and make up around 70 percent of unemployed in the urban area. Moreover, they face difficulties in being promoted in public as well as in private companies. Women encounter these difficulties especially in public companies where women have to retire at the age of 55, while men are offered the opportunity to work until the age of 60.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Outlines the underrepresentation of women in Chinese top management, establishes the research focus on trait/skills leadership and cultural factors, and defines the scope of the comparative study with Germany.
2. Understanding of Leadership: Provides a theoretical foundation covering Western leadership paradigms, Chinese philosophical foundations (Confucianism, Daoism), and the distinction between management and leadership.
3. Women in Managerial Leadership: Analyzes historical societal changes, feminist leadership theories, and the specific barriers (cultural, structural, and psychological) Chinese women face in their career progression.
4. Research Model: Defines the hypotheses regarding financial performance, company support, and career expectations, and details the mixed-method research methodology used to gather primary data from Chinese companies and individuals.
5. Results: Presents the empirical findings from the survey, including data on board diversity, regional distributions, and the correlation between company support for women and board composition.
6. Discussion: Synthesizes the results, links findings back to the research questions and theoretical background, and provides concrete recommendations for Chinese firms to improve gender diversity.
Keywords
Women in Leadership, China, Gender Diversity, Confucianism, Top Management, Big Five Personality Traits, Leadership Emergence, Gender Stereotyping, Corporate Governance, Career Advancement, Management Skills, Female Labor Participation, Gender Pay Gap, Organizational Behavior, Mentoring.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental issue addressed in this master thesis?
The thesis addresses the significant gender gap in top management positions in the People's Republic of China, where women remain largely underrepresented despite equal tertiary educational attainment compared to men.
What are the primary thematic fields covered in this research?
The study covers leadership theory (Western and Chinese perspectives), feminist leadership studies, gender sociology, organizational behavior, and the impact of cultural dimensions like Confucianism and Hofstede's factors on career development.
What is the core research objective?
The objective is to identify and examine the specific visible and invisible barriers—such as societal expectations, corporate culture, and psychological factors—that prevent Chinese women from advancing to the board of directors.
Which scientific methods were applied in this work?
The research adopts a pragmatic, mixed-method approach, conducting a cross-sectional survey among Chinese companies and young professionals to analyze both quantitative and qualitative data regarding career aspirations and corporate practices.
What topics are discussed in the main body of the work?
The main body examines historical developments, compares Chinese and Western leadership paradigms, investigates the influence of the Big Five personality traits on leadership emergence, and evaluates corporate support programs and their effectiveness.
Which keywords best characterize this research?
Key terms include gender diversity in China, leadership emergence, Confucian influence on business, corporate board representation, and career impediments for women.
How does the "one-child policy" relate to the findings of this study?
The study highlights that while the one-child policy reduced family size, it also placed immense pressure on women regarding caregiving duties, which, when combined with traditional filial piety, creates a double-burden that impedes career progression.
What is the role of the Big Five Personality Traits in this study?
The study uses the Five Factor Model (FFM) to determine if there is a significant discrepancy between the personality profiles of male and female professionals versus the traits desired by Chinese companies for top-level leadership.
- Quote paper
- Maria Adnane (Author), 2012, Women in Leadership Positions in the People's Republic of China, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/585300
