Doing Gender Well and Differently in Management

于英

【Abstract】The purpose of this paper is to revisit theoretical positions on gender and the implications for gender in management by building upon current research on doing gender well and re-doing or undoing gender and argue that gender can be done well and differently through simultaneous, multiple enactments of femininity and masculinity.

【Key words】Doing gender differently；Gender with entrepreneurship；Management theory

This paper focuses upon the implications of doing gender well and differently, for gender and management research and practice, drawing upon examples of leadership, entrepreneurship, female misogyny and Queen Bee.

1Doing gender well and doing gender differently

Doing gender not as something one possesses, rather as an ongoing accomplishment grounded in interaction with others. It is a complex process of interactional and micro political activities that result in what is perceived to be expressions of masculine or feminine “natures”. This means if an individual “looks” or “sounds” like a man, and then s/he is perceived to be a male and is expected to act appropriately for a man, that is, engage in negotiated masculine behaviors.

2Implications for gender in entrepreneurship

In parallel to leadership and management, “concepts of entrepreneurship and entrepreneur have been historically and culturally produced and reproduced on masculine terms.” Ahl argues that many of the words used to describe entrepreneur align with Bem's index of masculinity. Moreover, she contends that some of Bem's femininity words are direct opposites of entrepreneur and thus negative in nature as it relates to the notion of entrepreneur.

3Queen bee and female misogyny

There has been some recent research that provides encouraging insight into the possibility of shifting gender norms. We contend that women leaders display of more communal behaviors aligns with our conceptualization of doing gender well, while their display of agented behaviors aligns with doing gender differently.

4Conclusions

We believe future research should look further into the implications of doing gender well and differently for women entrepreneurs and women leaders in larger organizations. We contend that the opportunities, experiences and outcomes of doing gender well and differently may be different among women entrepreneurs and women leaders in larger organizations. We also expect that in entrepreneur-led organizations there is greater opportunity for leaders to develop an organization culture that accepts and encourages multiplicity in the doing of gender, thus more opportunity for doing gender well and differently.

【References】

［１］Roger Martin. The CEOs ethical dilemma in the era of earnings management[J].Strategy & Leadership，2011，39(6).

［２］Gerald J Lobo，Jian Zhou.Disclosure quality and earnings management[J].Asia-Pacific Journal of Accounting & Economics，2001，8(1).

［责任编辑：薛俊歌］