Organizational interventions towards achieving gender equality at the corporate top: a multiple case study approach

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-08-2021-0216
• Published date: 02 June 2022
• Date: 02 June 2022
• Pages: 1225-1242
• Subject Matter: HR & organizational behaviour,Employment law,Diversity,equality,inclusion
• Author: Rosalien A. van ‘t Foort-Diepeveen

Organizational interventions

towards achieving gender equality

at the corporate top: a multiple

case study approach

Rosalien A. van ‘t Foort-Diepeveen

Nyenrode Business Universiteit, Breukelen, The Netherlands

Abstract

Purpose –The aim of this article is twofold: (1) to identify gender equality organizational interventions

implemented by a selected number of Dutch companies to increase the number of women at the corporate top

and (2) to identify how these interventions overcome barriers to women’s advancement and contribute to more

women at the corporate top.

Design/methodology/approach –A comparative case study method was applied through conducting

qualitative research. The research was conducted at four large Dutch companies.

Findings –The research identified 23 organizationalinterventions that were classified in four categories. The

cross-case analysis focuses on specific themes, such as the type of interventions, the identified barriers, the

successfulness of the interventions and factors contributing to increasing the number of women at the

corporate top. The research shows that top-level commitment to this topic is important for the success of

interventions and for increasing the number of women at the corporate top and throughout the rest of the

organization. Some of the barriers could be overcome by the interventions identified.

Practical implications –This research provides companies with better insight into the quality and quantity

of gender equality organizational interventions implemented by Dutch companies to increase the number of

women at the corporate top. It can assist them in deciding which interventions could be implemented in order to

achieve gender equality at their corporate top.

Originality/value–The research provides in-depth insight into the types and number of implemented gender

equality organizational interventions for women at the corporate top and into the results and perceived

effectiveness of such interventions.

Keywords Gender equality, Organizations, Interventions, Barriers, Women’s underrepresentation

Paper type Case study

1. Introduction

This article entails an in-depth investigation into gender equality organizational interventions

(interventions) that have been adopted and implemented by four large Dutch companies with a

view to increasing the number of women at their corporate top. Globally, and in the Netherlands,

women are underrepresented at the corporate top. In 2020, 29.5% of the supervisory board

members and 12.4% of the management board members of Dutch listed companies were women

(L€

uckerath-Rovers, 2020). From 2013 to 2020, a legislative target figure aimed at achieving the

participationofatleast30%womenandmeninmanagementandsupervisoryboardsappliedto

large Dutch companies. This legislation was unsuccessful in increasing female board

representation to 30% as no sanctions were in place for non-compliance therewith (van ‘t

Foort-Diepeveen, 2021). The Netherlands has therefore adopted mandatory quota legislation

requiring that supervisory boards of stock listed companies are comprised of at least one-third

women and one-third men, which has been in effect as from January 2022.

The Dutch context is particularly relevant because of its prevalent “part-time employment

culture”(van der Lippe and Roeters, 2010;Broersma et al., 2017). The Netherlands has the

Gender

equality at the

corporate top

1225

The author is thankful for the valuable comments to a previous draft of this article provided by Tineke

Lambooy and Aikaterini Argyrou and for the English editing comments provided by Penny Simmers.

The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:

https://www.emerald.com/insight/2040-7149.htm

Received 31 August 2021

Revised 5 March 2022

Accepted 12 May 2022

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

An International Journal

Vol. 41 No. 8, 2022

pp. 1225-1242

© Emerald Publishing Limited

2040-7149

DOI 10.1108/EDI-08-2021-0216

highest part-time employment rate [1] in among OECD countries. Of the total workforce,

36.9% works part-time (OECD, 2021). By comparison, the average part-time employment rate

for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries is 16.7%

(OECD, 2021). Women and men work part-time in the Netherlands (OECD, 2021). However,

women work part-time more frequently than men, resulting in less overall gender equality for

women in the workplace (Cal

as and Smircich, 2006;Jacobs and Gerson, 2004).

Interventions have been designed to redress women’s underrepresentation at the

corporate top and to promote gender equality. Studies into such interventions in the

Netherlands employing qualitative methods are mainly conducted in a university context

(see, e.g.: Leenders et al., 2020;Timmers et al., 2010;van den Brink et al., 2010;Bleijenbergh

and van Engen, 2015) rather than in the context of companies. This article seeks to identify

which interventions have been implemented by companies to increase the number of women

at the corporate top. It investigates how these interventions work in practice, and how they

relate to barriers hindering women’s access to the corporate top. A multiple-case study

approach was used to investigate interventions at four Dutch companies. The central

research questions this article aims to answer are: (1) how have Dutch companies

implemented organizational interventions to increase the number of women at the corporate

top and to achieve gender equality and (2) do these organizational interventions help to

overcome the barriers to women’s advancement and contribute to increasing the number of

women at the corporate top?

2. Theoretical framework

A liberal feminist lens was adopted to discuss the interventions (Meyerson and Kolb, 2000).

Liberal feminism advocates equal opportunities and rights for women and men without

requiring a radical restructuring of society (Cal

as and Smircich, 1999,2006;Gherardi, 2005;

Cal

as et al., 2009;Lorber, 1997;Benschop and Verloo, 2016;van ‘t Foort-Diepeveen et al., 2021;

van den Brink et al., 2010). In order to create equal opportunities, structural and procedural

barriers discriminating women need to be removed (Ely and Meyerson, 2000a,b;Cal

as and

Smircich, 1999;Cal

as et al., 2009;Nentwich, 2006;Meyerson and Kolb, 2000;van den Brink

et al., 2010). Previous research involving a systematic review of relevant literature revealed

that several barriers hinder women in their access to the corporate top. These barriers include

gender stereotypes, biases, devaluation of women, career preferences, organizational culture,

work–family balance/conflict and professional support. The identified barriers are

interrelated, meaning that th ey have a negatively reinforcing effect (van ‘t Foort-

Diepeveen et al., 2021).

The interventions required to achieve gender equality are affirmative action measures,

anti-discrimination legislation and organizational interventions (Lorber, 1997;Nienaber and

Moraka, 2016;Benschop and Verloo, 2016;Nentwich, 2006;Meyerson and Kolb, 2000). In

liberal feminism, organizations are seen as being gender-neutral, and women and men are

assumed to have equal opportunities therein (Cal

as and Smircich, 2006;Gherardi, 2005).

Organizations are not qualified as gendered (Cal

as and Smircich, 2006). The problems women

face are seen as individual and personal problems (Cal

as and Smircich, 2006). Therefore,

interventions do not target the “un”gendering of organizations as such but rather focus on

equipping women for corporate top positions and on granting women and men equal

opportunities (Ely and Meyerson, 2000a;Meyerson and Kolb, 2000). Interventions in line with

liberal feminism are, for instance, unbiased recruitment and promotion processes, mentoring

programs, family friendly policies, such as flexible work arrangements, and development

programs for women (Ely and Meyerson, 2000a;Meyerson and Kolb, 2000;Nentwich, 2006).

For the purposes of this article, gender equality is considered to have been achieved when

a gender equal balance of 50% women and 50% men is attained at the corporate top.

EDI

41,8

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