The reproduction and perpetuation of workplace gender inequality in male-dominated industries through biased executive ideologies: a study of the Australian transport and logistics industry

ABSTRACT

Workplace gender inequality remains a major cause of workplace and employment disadvantage for women, particularly in traditionally male-dominated industries. We draw on a study of the Australian transport and logistics industry to examine the conundrum that despite growing awareness of, pressure against, and supposedly increasing policy action against workplace gender inequality, little progress has been made over many decades. This study is premised on the view that understanding, and addressing, the root cause is the key to effective solutions. We applied Wynn’s executive ideology on gender inequality theoretical framework to investigate the core factors sustaining workplace gender inequalities in the industry. We find that particular unconscious biased executive conceptualisations of workplace gender inequalities shape organisational gender policies. Consequently, instead of eradicating, they reinforce and reproduce embedded attitudes and processes through the policies they adopt. We argue that to effectively address workplace gender inequality, it is the organisation and the industry, rather than the individual and society that must be the primary focus of executive strategy and action.

KEYWORDS:

• Workplace gender inequality
• transport and logistics industry
• executive ideologies
• gendered organisations

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge all the industry participants in the research who took the time to honestly share their views in the interviews.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. Research received ethics approval from Business Research Ethics Committee, RMIT University.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Aida Ghalebeigi

Aida Ghalebeigi is a researcher at Roy Morgan Research. Prior to this, she was an academic at RMIT University and leader of the Gender Matters research cluster in the Global Transport and Logistics Research Group. Her research has focused on workplace gender equality in the male-dominated industries.

Victor Gekara

Victor Gekara’s research and teaching focus on workplace transformations and questions about the future of work. His research has focused on the implications of such transformations on nature of employment, workforce skills and workers, experience of work.

Shiva Madani

Shiva Madani is an academic in the School of Accounting, Information Systems and Supply Chain at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia. Her teaching and research interests lie broadly in the domain of supply chain and logistics management, with a focus on strategic development and competitiveness of seaports.