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The Unpacking of Female Managerial Life in Contemporary Organizations

Wäller, Jana LU and Bakker, Annemijn Janien LU (2025) BUSN49 20251
Department of Business Administration
Abstract
Title: The Unpacking of Female Managerial Life in Contemporary Organizations
Authors: Annemijn Janien Bakker and Jana Marcie Wäller
Supervisor: Stefan Sveningsson, Professor of Business Administration; Lund University School of Economics and Management, Sweden
Date: 26th of May 2025
Purpose: The purpose of this research is to critically examine how leadership is constructed, experienced, and navigated by senior female leaders in contemporary organizations. It seeks to uncover the systemic, societal, and interpersonal barriers that these women face in accessing and sustaining leadership positions.
Methodology: This research adopts a qualitative research design rooted in the interpretive tradition, complemented by feminism and gender... (More)
Title: The Unpacking of Female Managerial Life in Contemporary Organizations
Authors: Annemijn Janien Bakker and Jana Marcie Wäller
Supervisor: Stefan Sveningsson, Professor of Business Administration; Lund University School of Economics and Management, Sweden
Date: 26th of May 2025
Purpose: The purpose of this research is to critically examine how leadership is constructed, experienced, and navigated by senior female leaders in contemporary organizations. It seeks to uncover the systemic, societal, and interpersonal barriers that these women face in accessing and sustaining leadership positions.
Methodology: This research adopts a qualitative research design rooted in the interpretive tradition, complemented by feminism and gender studies. The research is grounded in symbolic interactionism, focusing on how individuals construct meaning through social interaction. Data was collected through seventeen semi-structured interviews with senior female leaders, and an abductive reasoning process was employed, iterating between empirical insights and theoretical frameworks.
Theoretical Framework: The theoretical framework of this research draws on feminist organizational theory and critical leadership studies to examine how gendered norms, structures, and expectations shape the experiences of senior female leaders. It challenges traditional leadership models by situating leadership within broader societal and institutional contexts that maintain inequality through formal mechanisms and informal dynamics.
Contributions: This thesis contributes by offering an understanding of how senior female leaders navigate persistent gendered dynamics in contemporary organizations. By introducing five new metaphors, it provides a conceptual framework that captures the often invisible barriers women face to challenge and reimagine leadership in more inclusive ways.
Keywords: Gender and leadership; Senior female leadership; Gender dynamics; Authentic leadership; Leadership identity; Informal structures; Male allyship; Motherhood penalty; Gender stereotypes (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Wäller, Jana LU and Bakker, Annemijn Janien LU
supervisor
organization
course
BUSN49 20251
year
type
H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
subject
keywords
Gender and Leadership, Senior Female Leadership, Gender Dynamics, Authentic Leadership, Leadership Identity, Informal Structures, Male Allyship, Motherhood Penalty, Gender Stereotypes
language
English
id
9194705
date added to LUP
2025-06-23 09:47:19
date last changed
2025-06-23 09:47:19
@misc{9194705,
  abstract     = {{Title: The Unpacking of Female Managerial Life in Contemporary Organizations
Authors: Annemijn Janien Bakker and Jana Marcie Wäller
Supervisor: Stefan Sveningsson, Professor of Business Administration; Lund University School of Economics and Management, Sweden
Date: 26th of May 2025
Purpose: The purpose of this research is to critically examine how leadership is constructed, experienced, and navigated by senior female leaders in contemporary organizations. It seeks to uncover the systemic, societal, and interpersonal barriers that these women face in accessing and sustaining leadership positions.
Methodology: This research adopts a qualitative research design rooted in the interpretive tradition, complemented by feminism and gender studies. The research is grounded in symbolic interactionism, focusing on how individuals construct meaning through social interaction. Data was collected through seventeen semi-structured interviews with senior female leaders, and an abductive reasoning process was employed, iterating between empirical insights and theoretical frameworks.
Theoretical Framework: The theoretical framework of this research draws on feminist organizational theory and critical leadership studies to examine how gendered norms, structures, and expectations shape the experiences of senior female leaders. It challenges traditional leadership models by situating leadership within broader societal and institutional contexts that maintain inequality through formal mechanisms and informal dynamics.
Contributions: This thesis contributes by offering an understanding of how senior female leaders navigate persistent gendered dynamics in contemporary organizations. By introducing five new metaphors, it provides a conceptual framework that captures the often invisible barriers women face to challenge and reimagine leadership in more inclusive ways.
Keywords: Gender and leadership; Senior female leadership; Gender dynamics; Authentic leadership; Leadership identity; Informal structures; Male allyship; Motherhood penalty; Gender stereotypes}},
  author       = {{Wäller, Jana and Bakker, Annemijn Janien}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{The Unpacking of Female Managerial Life in Contemporary Organizations}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}