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Bringing Women on Board? Family Policies, Quotas and Gender Diversity in Top Jobs

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  • Helen Kowalewska

Abstract

An influential body of work has identified a ‘welfare-state paradox’: work–family policies that bring women into the workforce also undermine women’s access to the top jobs. Missing from this literature is a consideration of how welfare-state interventions impact on women’s representation at the board-level specifically, rather than managerial and lucrative positions more generally. This article contributes to addressing this ‘gap’. A fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis of 22 industrialised countries reveals how welfare-state interventions combine with gender boardroom quotas and targets in (not) bringing a ‘critical mass’ of women onto private-sector corporate boards. Overall, the analysis finds limited evidence in support of a welfare-state paradox; in fact, countries are unlikely to achieve a critical mass of women on boards in the absence of adequate childcare services. The results further suggest that ‘hard’, mandatory gender boardroom quotas are not necessary for achieving more women on boards; ‘soft’, voluntary recommendations can also work under certain family policy constellations.

Suggested Citation

  • Helen Kowalewska, 2021. "Bringing Women on Board? Family Policies, Quotas and Gender Diversity in Top Jobs," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 35(4), pages 735-752, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:woemps:v:35:y:2021:i:4:p:735-752
    DOI: 10.1177/0950017020971221
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Erling Barth & Liza Reisel & Kjersti Misje Østbakken, 2024. "The Equality Hurdle: Resolving the Welfare State Paradox," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 38(3), pages 766-786, June.
    2. Elizabeth Cotton & T Alexandra Beauregard & Janroj Yilmaz Keles, 2021. "Gender Equalities: What Lies Ahead," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 35(4), pages 615-620, August.
    3. Samira Nabiafjadi & Maryam Sharifzadeh & Hossein Shabanali Fami & Mostafa Ahmadvand, 2024. "A Comparative Analysis of Good Water Governance in Iran’s Water-Poor Basins," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 38(15), pages 6025-6044, December.

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