Overt and covert practices of gender (in)equality at the workplace in Scandinavian companies in Ukraine

Abstract

Based on ethnographic data, this study sheds light on gender (in)equality in Scandinavian workplaces in Ukraine. More specifically, the study aims to investigate how managers in Scandinavian companies in Ukraine present and legitimize company-practices in relation to gender equality. The study is within critical management studies and takes a Butlerian, per-formative approach to knowledge production. The main data consists of in-depth semi-structured interviews with 17 managers in 10 Scandinavian companies in Kyiv. This data is triangulated with participant observation of a networking event and office environments, interviews with NGO’s and a Scandinavian business association and website-analysis. In the analysis of the managers’ performativity, the strategically overt and covert practices within the companies are analyzed along with the managers’ unconscious schemes of perception and appreciation. The results of the study show that the performance of Scandinavian culture is productive in embedding gender equality in the company practices. However, the companies’ moral self-image inhibits the managers from identifying structural inequality within their workplace, and covertly, several policies and emancipatory programs are not implemented. Due to the managers’ unconscious schemes of perception and appreciation, they have gendered skill-perceptions, and they do for the most part not consider gender equality a pressing issue in the Ukrainian labor market today. Based on the results of the study, I argue that combining strategically (c)overt company-practices with unconscious schemes of perception and appreciation lays the ground for more nuanced studies of cross-cultural company-practices.

Popular Abstract

In this study, I investigate gender (in)equality in Scandinavian companies in Ukraine. The study is based on interviews with managers in 10 Scandinavian companies in Ukraine that present themselves as socially responsible. With an emphasis on hiring practices and working environment, I analyze how the managers present and legitimize practices of gender (in)equality within their companies. I analyze the interviews from the perspective of performativity, which means that I see the managers as performers that want to convey a positive mes-sage to me as an observer. However, I also see myself as a performer, because I affect the conversation and act in ways that make them feel comfortable to speak openly about their practices. Through in-depth interviews, I encourage the managers to share not just the practices they are proud of (the overt practices), but also the practices that are illegal and unethical (the covert practices). Overall, the study shows that the managers’ performance of Scandinavian business ethics enforces practices that are relatively positive for gender equality. For in-stance, the managers present work-life balance, law-abiding practices, flexibility and gender equality as overt qualities that benefit their employees. However, simultaneously, the Scandinavian self-understanding keeps the managers from addressing gender inequality any further, because they believe that equality has already been established in their companies. As a consequence, covertly, some of their women’s programs and written policies are not successfully implemented. Such covert practices are mostly legitimized by pointing to how Ukrainian en-terprises are more inequal than Scandinavian. On top of these covert practices, many of the managers have opinions that maintain inequality. Firstly, according to many of the managers, gender equality is not an issue in Ukraine. Secondly, many of the managers have very gen-dered understandings of men’s and women’s skills. Women are described as emotional, creative, careful, charming, open, beautiful, extroverted, diplomatic and attentive. Men, on the other hand, are described as rational, calm, closed, professional, ambitious, efficient and organized. Such stereotypes may lead managers to covertly hire people based on their gender rather than based on their skills. Thirdly, there is a tendency for the managers to see men as more professional than women, whereby men are seen as better workers. In Scandinavian companies in Ukraine, there is thus a need of educating managers in gender awareness, for instance through gender sensitivity trainings. Also, culture-sensitive communication between the Scandinavian headquarters and the Ukrainian offices could lead to a more impactful implementation of gender equality programs.

• author: Kristiansen, Ane
• supervisor: Christopher Swader
• organization: Sociology; Department of Sociology
• course: SOCM04 20201
• year: 2020
• type: H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
• subject: Social Sciences
• keywords: gender inequality, performativity, cross-cultural business, labor market, critical management studies, corporate practices
• language: English
• id: 9014118
• date added to LUP: 2020-06-17 18:01:40
• date last changed: 2020-06-17 18:01:40