Geschlechterungleichheit in Erwerbsorganisationen: Zur Verschränkung von „Struktur“ und „Kultur“

In the labor force, women still face relatively low labor market opportunities, compared to men. This is visible for example in in lower wages and reduced advancement prospects as well as in the occupational gender segregation. Therefore – pursuing and expanding existing research – we analyze the role firms play for gender specific labor market opportunities. On the one hand, we focus on “egalitarian” firm structures (firm specific programs concerning gender equality and work family compatibility, balanced gender demographics in the firm and in its management positions, firm specific formalization of employment policies) and their impact on gender specific inequalities. On the other hand, we take arguments from neoinstitutionalism into account, discussing the extent to which those structures are reflected in the organizational culture and in the subjective perception of the structures, respectively. A particular aim is to identify possible ambivalences between positive and negative consequences of “egalitarian” organizational structures. Building on these considerations we indicate that more research is needed that aims to analyze this intersection of “structure” and “culture” and its effect on social inequalities between women and men in the labor market.