Still Some Way to Go : Gender Equality and Management Schools

Abstract

In this chapter, I will discuss gender equality with a focus on schools of management. First, to give some background, I look at the gender gap in different countries. Some country comparisons are introduced, and special attention is paid to the situation in India. Next, I present some key constructs concerning women in the context of management, as well as arguments for the importance of advancing gender equality in this context. Although it is widely accepted that gender equality in general is crucial to the sustainable development, prosperity, and wellbeing of societies, organizations, and individuals (Sen, 1985; The Sustainable Development Goals, 2015; The Global Gender Gap Report, 2020), it is still not unusual to hear that the topic is irrelevant, even insignificant. Finally, I propose a framework for how management schools can develop gender equality in their organizational activities. I hope that the discussion in this paper will encourage critical reflection of the assumptions, actions, and traditions that inhibit gender equality, not only in schools of management, but also more generally in society.