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19/04/23 1© © Prof Sharon Mavin, 2011

Building Gender into Teaching Research MethodsBuilding Gender into Teaching Research Methods

• Locating gender in research methods – why bother?Locating gender in research methods – why bother?• Women - missing in action:Women - missing in action:

At the current rate of progress it will take another:

• 70 years to achieve an equal number of women directors in the FTSE 100

• 45 years to achieve an equal number of women in the senior judiciary

• 14 elections, or up to 70 years, to achieve an equal number of women MPs

• 30 years to achieve an equal number of women senior police officers

Equality & Human Rights report on Sex & Power in UK (2010)

Situation on Campus – UK IssuesSituation on Campus – UK IssuesUK HE: UK HE: •44.0% of academic staff were women (2009)•19.1% women Profs (2009) compared to 18.7% (2008)•26/117 women Deans of business schools: rise over 4 years (2011)•Reflecting women leaders in UK Business •1st ABS Women Deans of Distinction Lecture – June 2011

NBS on-campus 2010/11:NBS on-campus 2010/11:•UG/PGT women 46 % men 54% •PGR (82) women 39% men 61% •UG don’t see gender as an issue & won’t engage in gender discussions•Returning as PG or alumni : why we didn’t prepare them for business! •UK business schools still struggle to name high-flying female MBAs

• Gender in business & mgt curricula – missing in action? Gender in business & mgt curricula – missing in action?

Surely all business & management research aimed to solve real- world problems is gender aware? Of course gender is on the UK Business School agenda… A highly political process: challenge, influence & persuade... academics & students

• Down to BasicsDown to Basics

Gendered business, management & leadership Example of how to incorporate feminist research in teaching MBAs research methods... (Patterson, 2010)

Theory & Education is Gender Blind...Theory & Education is Gender Blind...• Mainstream mgt theory, more accurately labelled “male

stream” - fails to recognise the relationship between mgt & gender… “gender blindness” (Wilson, 1996).

• Academy operates a gender blind (or at best gender neutral) approach to mgt research & mgt theory.

• UK business schools perpetuate this approach in mgt education – echoing a pattern repeated in the practice of mgt which closes down & inhibits opportunities for mgt to be “done differently” (Mavin, et al. 2004).

Gender Blindness is Bad Science…Gender Blindness is Bad Science…Wilson (1996) accuses mgt theory of being male stream:Wilson (1996) accuses mgt theory of being male stream:• Little/no room for analysis of actual individuals who occupy the role, treating mgt as

an abstract set of functions, principles or processes• Fails to recognise gender, in the face of overwhelming empirical evidence• Mgt literature almost exclusively from a gender-neutral position• Lack of challenge re gender balance of empirical studies• Seminal, male-only American studies (MBA based) perpetuating malestream

knowledge • Women-only populations criticised as unbalanced & unrepresentative

An important silence:An important silence:• Published management research based on male norm or gender neutral position• Leading journals define what is visible, discussable, achievable & identifiable • Papers integrated into learning & research reinforcing existing gendered stereotypes

Rethinking Theory, Education & PracticeRethinking Theory, Education & Practice

• Need to “unlearn” & to “rethink”, traditional approaches to mgt theory, education & practice (Linstead, 2000).

• “To rethink requires imagination & wisdom. Rethinking... requires a degree of ‘unlearning’ as we reflect upon or try to put aside conventional ways of knowing...

It requires a reflexive ability that does not simply challenge assumptions in the sparring & reductionist mode of much academic debate, but rather exhibits a sensitive awareness to subtlety & nuance” (Hughes & Kerfoot, 2002: 473).

EOC Gender ProofingEOC Gender ProofingThe UK EOC guidance note ‘gender proofing research’ for all students required to undertake research:

“It is our view that research which is ‘gender-blind’, rather than ‘gender-aware’ may often be bad science or of limited value, particularly if it is used to inform or formulate policy. Therefore a gender-aware approach should automatically be adopted within a research project unless there is good reason not to do so” (EOC, 2000: 1).

Gender Mainstreaming (EOC, 2003) notes;

“…mobilising all general policies & measures specifically for the purpose of achieving equality by actively & openly taking into account at the planning stage their possible effects on the respective situations of men & women (the gender perspective).”

Introducing gender, Introducing gender, stereotyping & gendered stereotyping & gendered leadership into teachingleadership into teaching

The Business CaseThe Business Case

% women% women

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007/8 2010/11

BusinessBusiness Women’s average

representation

10.2%

Directors in FTSE 100Directors in FTSE 100 8.6 9.7 10.5 10.4 11.0 12.5

Directors in FTSE 250Directors in FTSE 250 n/a n/a n/a 6.6 7.2 7.8

Sex & Power 2010/11 Index (EHRC)Sex & Power 2010/11 Index (EHRC)Women in selected top UK jobs since 2003Women in selected top UK jobs since 2003

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19/04/23 12

Mascu

linity –

Mascu

linity –

Fem

inin

ityF

emin

inity

MEN CAN BE FEMININEMEN CAN BE FEMININEWOMEN CAN BE MASCULINEWOMEN CAN BE MASCULINE

Both c

an d

o gen

der w

ell

& do g

ender

diff

eren

tly

(Mav

in &

Gra

ndy 20

12)

© © Prof Sharon Mavin, 2011

Agentic Agentic BehavioursBehaviours

Communal Communal BehavioursBehaviours

Assertive, Controlled, Forceful, Ambitious,

Helpful, Kind, FriendlyGentle, Soft Spoken, Passive

Especially Affectionate,Sympathetic

Especially AggressiveDominant, Objective

Interpersonally Sensitive, Empathetic

Tough, Guts, Determination

Compassionate Treatment of Others

Self-reliant, Self-confidentIndependent, Individualistic

(adap

ted fro

m H

arvard B

us

iness R

eview E

agly

& C

arli, 2007)

‘‘AGENTIC’ WOMEN AGENTIC’ WOMEN = =

ChallengingChallengingStereotypesStereotypes

Professor Sharon Mavin © © Prof Sharon Mavin, 2011

Agentic +Agentic +Positive forPositive for

MenMen

Agentic -Agentic -Negative forNegative for

Women Women

They are ‘competitive’

They are ‘ambitious’

They are ‘driven’

They are ‘task focused’ They are ‘instrumental’

They are ‘committed’

They are ‘political’

They are ‘sociable’

They are ‘passionate’

‘‘manipulative’manipulative’

‘‘obsessive-workaholic’obsessive-workaholic’‘‘emotional’emotional’

Challenging Challenging StereotypesStereotypes

WWhen womenwomen display masculine agentic effective leadershipmasculine agentic effective leadership behaviours

‘‘driven’driven’

‘‘ambitious’ambitious’

They are ‘tough’

‘‘control freak’control freak’

© © Prof Sharon Mavin, 2011

Modus operandi ‘Agentic behaviour’

Disconcerting

Finally some feminine behaviour…

The Presidential Campaign:

Hillary Tears UpHillary Tears Up A helpful glimpse of 'the A helpful glimpse of 'the

real Hillary'?real Hillary'?

7th January 2008

Professor Sharon Mavin

Dodging the stereotypes - Hemlines, Husbands & Dodging the stereotypes - Hemlines, Husbands & HairstylesHairstyles

Reproduced with permission Glamour Magazine, August 2008

Dr. N Patterson (2010) – The MBADr. N Patterson (2010) – The MBA

• Integrating gender issues into teaching research methods with MBAs

• Moved from malestream research of leaders & entrepreneurs into...

• Leader & follower perspectives of entrepreneurial leadership: How is gender experienced in small firms?

Patterson, N. (2010)

Patterson’s Key Issues Patterson’s Key Issues • Explore what goes on within a small business beyond start up

phase?... Focus on Leadership• Emerging concept of authentic leadership - little empirical

data, positioned as appropriate in small businesses• Leadership & entrepreneurship as social processes...

acknowledging follower involvement... highlighting agency• If women always measured against masculine norms of large

organisations how can they resist... by creating their own

Patterson, N. (2010)

How will I approach the research?• What are my values?

• How do I believe knowledge is constituted?

• What will be the focus of my research?

Patterson, N. (2010)

Patterson’s QuestionsPatterson’s Questions

Introducing the F-Word...Introducing the F-Word...

• Questions existing power & knowledge • 3rd wave of feminism (1990’s –current)

concerned with inequalities of law & cultural inequalities to end discrimination

• Challenges way social sciences think about & do research (Harding & Norberg, 2005)

• Retain commonality whilst accommodating difference (Buzzanell, 2003)

When you hear the word feminism what comes to

mind?

Patterson, N. (2010)

Patterson’s Feminist Patterson’s Feminist Standpoint Standpoint

• Understanding the world that begins with & is developed directly from women’s experience

• Recognise equality whilst acknowledging diversity • Socio-cultural change• Need to create a “rupture in social relations ” (Fonow &

Cook, 2005)

• Give women a voice to speak from their experiences

Patterson, N. (2010)

Leader & follower perspectives of entrepreneurial leadership: How is gender experienced in small firms?

1. Understandings of women entrepreneur-leaders’ perspectives of entrepreneurial leadership

2. Understandings of followers’ perspectives of entrepreneurial leadership

3. Explore how gender is experienced within the entrepreneurial leadership process

Patterson, N. (2010)

Patterson’s ResearchPatterson’s Research

Summary:Summary:

Context of gender in business & management studies Current situation in UK society, UK HE, the business case

Gender blind research is ‘bad science’ Gendered research, theory, practice & curricula

Incorporating gendered leader stereotypes into research methods

Incorporating feminist research into MBA curricula & research preparation ... (Patterson, 2010)

Building Gender into Teaching of Research MethodsBuilding Gender into Teaching of Research Methods

Thank youAny questions…