Organizational Power Structures and the Reproduction of Gender Inequality

Abstract

This paper is an extensive empirical analysis of how organisational power systems logically recreate and recycle gender inequality. The research is based on the organisational theory of feminism and institutional approaches and is aimed to analysing the unique and at the same time interdependent roles of formal hierarchies, informal networks, decision-making control and organisational culture in creating gendered results. The data were collected through a designed questionnaire that was given to 390 employees in a range of hierarchy and industry sectors. The analysis results using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) can prove that each aspect of organisational power has statistically significant positive influence on perceived gender inequality, with decision-making control being the strongest predictor. Multi-group analyses also show that such effects are more acutely traced by female respondents which only contributes to the gendered experience of organisational power. These structural determinants explain a lot of gender inequality, as the model explains 62 per cent of the variance. The results shed light on how profoundly ingrained and self-perpetuating mechanisms promote inequality to go beyond personal prejudices and emphasise the insufficiency of symbolic diversity programmes. This study, therefore, can be useful to merge the theoretical framework of structural, relational, and cultural paradigms of power and provide specific and multi-level suggestions regarding measures to reallocate power and promote substantive gender equity in the workplace.

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