Skip to main content
Frontiers of Business Research in China
Download PDF
  • Research Article
  • Published:

Manifestation of gender discrimination in the process of human resources development—A content analysis based on interview data

Frontiers of Business Research in China volume 3, pages 470–491 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

This study focuses on the issue of gender discrimination manifested in the process of human resources development (HRD). A theoretical model is developed based on prior literature. Scenarios of gender discrimination in enterprises are obtained from in-depth interviews. Results of content analysis indicate that gender discrimination in HRD have four forms of manifestation, namely occupational gender segregation, employment gender discrimination, glass ceiling, and gender salary discrimination. Compared with top and middle-level managers, employees can perceive more employment-related gender discrimination and less glass ceiling. There is no significant difference between female and male in the above four manifestations. Compared with other types of enterprises, gender salary discrimination is more likely to happen in private enterprises, and occupational gender segregation and glass ceiling are more prevalent in foreign funded enterprises. It is also found that gender discrimination often occurs at the stage of job arrangement in the process of HRD.

摘要

聚焦在企业人力资源开发中性别歧视的表现形式问题, 先基于以往文献构建了人力资源开发中性别歧视表现形式的理论模型; 然后, 通过深度访谈法获取企业性别歧视的情景性资料, 运用内容分析技术结构化地分析资料来验证模型。 研究发现, 企业人力资源开发中性别歧视主要表现在雇佣性别歧视、 职业性别隔离、 玻璃天花板和薪酬性别歧视四个方面; 并且相对于高层和中层, 低层职员往往会更多地感知到雇佣性别歧视, 而更少地感知到玻璃天花板; 男性与女性职员在性别歧视四种表现形式的感知上不存在显著差异; 相对于其它类型企业而言, 民营企业更可能产生薪酬歧视问题, 外(合)资企业更容易出现职业性别隔离和玻璃天花板现象; 相对于其它人力资源开发阶段, 在工作安排阶段, 更容易出现各种性别歧视现象。

References

  • Alkadry M G (2006). Unequal pay: The role of gender. Public Administration Review, 66(6): 888–898

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bellizzi A J, Hasty R W (2000). Does successful work experience mitigate weight and gender-based employment discrimination in face to face industrial selling? Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 15(6): 384–398

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cain G G (1986). The economic analysis of labor market discrimination: A survey, In: Ashenfelter O and Layard R (eds.), Handbook of Labor Economics, 1: 693–785. New York: Elsevier Science Publishers

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Daily C M, Certo S T, Dalton D R (1999). A decade of corporate female: Some progress in the boardroom, none in the executive suite. Strategic Management Journal, 20: 93–99

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ely R, Padavic I (2007). A feminist analysis of organizational research on sex differences. Academy of Management Review, 32(4): 1121–1143

    Google Scholar 

  • Epstein R A (1992). Forbidden Grounds: The Case against Employment Discrimination Laws. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Groot W, Van den Brink H M (1996). Glass ceiling or dead ends: Job promotion of men and female compared. Economics Letters, 53: 221–226

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gutek B A, Cohen A G, Tsui A (1996). Reactions to perceived discrimination. Human Relations, 49: 791–813

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haberfeld Y (1992). Employment discrimination model: An organizational model. Academy of Management Journal, 35(1): 161–180

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heery E, Noon M (2001). A Dictionary of Human Resource Management, 160–161. New York: Oxford University Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Inman P L (1998). Female’ career development at the glass ceiling. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 80: 35–42

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jacobs A J (1993). Theoretical and measurement issues in the study of sex segregation in the workplace: Research note. European Sociological Review, 9(3): 325–330

    Google Scholar 

  • Kolbe R H, Burnett M S (1991). Content-analysis research: An examination of applications with directives for improving research reliability and objectivity. Journal of Consumer Research, 18(9): 243–250

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu P W, Meng X, Zhang J S (2000). Sectorial gender wage differentials and discrimination in the transitional Chinese economy. Journal of Population Economics, 13: 331–352

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Long J E (1975). Public-private sectoral differences in employment discrimination. Southern Economic Journal, 42(1): 89–96

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Milgrom M M (2001). Equal pay for equal work? Evidence from Sweden and a comparison with Norway and the US. Scand J of Economics, 103(4): 559–583

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ngo H Y, Tang C, W Au (2002). Behavioral responses to employment discrimination: A study of Hongkong workers. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 13: 1206–1223

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Petersen T, Togstad T (2006). Getting the offer: Sex discrimination in hiring. Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, 24: 239–257

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Powell N G, Butterfield A D (1994). Investigating the “glass ceiling” phenomenon: An empirical study of actual promotions to top management. Academy of Management Journal, 37(1): 68–86

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reskin B F (2000). The proximate causes of employment discrimination. Contemporary Sociology, 29(2): 319–328

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wright E O, Baxter J (2000). The glass ceiling hypothesis: A reply to critics. Gender & Society, 14(6): 814–821

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yamagata H, Yeh K S, Stewman S, Dodge H (1997). Sex segregation and glass ceilings: A comparative static model of female’s career opportunities in the Federal Government over a quarter century. The American Journal of Sociology, 103(3): 566–632

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • 蔡 禾, 吴 小平 (Cai He, Wu Xiaoping) (2002). 社会变迁与职业的性别不平等 (Social transition and occupational gender inequity). 管理世界, (9): 71–77

  • 陈 维军 (Chen Weijun) (2001). 文献计量法与内容分析法的比较研究 (Comparison between bolometric method and content analysis method). 情报科学, (8): 884–886

  • 丁 文 (Ding Wen) (1995). 关于妇女社会地位指标体系的理论探讨 (A study and assumption of female social status index system). 新华文摘, (8): 38–43

  • 科 特等 (Kete D A et al.) (2002). 玻璃天花板的影响 (Influence of glass ceiling). 国外社会科学, (4): 93–94

  • 李 新建, 赵 瑞美 (Li Xinjian, Zhao Ruimei) (1999). 性别歧视与女性就业 (Sexual discrimination and female’s employment). 妇女研究论丛, (1): 4–9

  • 马 文峰 (Ma Wenfeng) (2000). 试析职业性别隔离 (Application of content analysis method in the social and scientific information science). 情报科学, (4): 346–349

  • 王 俊 (Wang Jun) (2004). 浅析职业性别隔离 (Simple analysis on professional sexism). 企业技术开发, (12): 55–57

  • 王 重鸣 (Wang Zhongming) (1998). 心理学研究方法 (Psychology Research Methods), 168–169. 北京: 人民教育出版社

    Google Scholar 

  • 王 雅芬 (Wang Yafen) (1993). 台湾地区职业结构性别差异与教育程度关联性之研究 (Study on the relevance between gender differences in occupational structure and educational degree in Taiwan, labor studies). 劳动研究, (113): 20–31

  • 袁 方 (Yuan Fang) (1997). 社会研究方法教程 (Social research method), 268-27 大学出版社

  • 杨 宜勇 (Yang Yiyong) (1997). 人力资源开发宏观层面和微观层面 (Macro- and micro- levels of human resource development). 中国人力资源开发, (6): 11–13

  • 朱 力, 王 旭波, 徐 展 (Zhu Li, Wang Xubo, Xu Zhan) (2003). 就业机会中的性别不平等 (Gende inequity in employment opportunity-The other side of relationship between market transition and inequity). 南京社会科学, (11): 70–72

  • 张 丹丹 (Zhang Dandan) (2004). 市场化与性别工资差异研究 (Marketization and gender wage differences). 中国人口科学, (1): 32–41

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Management School, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China

    Shimei Yan & Man Zhang

  2. School of Law and Politics, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, 310058, China

    Shizhi Yan

Authors
  1. Shimei Yan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Shizhi Yan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Man Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shimei Yan.

Additional information

Translated and revised from Guanli Shijie 管理世界 (Management World), 2008, (11): 110–118

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Yan, S., Yan, S. & Zhang, M. Manifestation of gender discrimination in the process of human resources development—A content analysis based on interview data. Front. Bus. Res. China 3, 470–491 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11782-009-0023-1

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11782-009-0023-1

Keywords

关键词