In this article, we discuss the relationships between discrimination, harassment, and the glass ceiling, arguing that many of the factors that preclude women from occupying executive and managerial positions also foster sexual harassment. We suggest that measures designed to increase numbers of women in higher level positions will reduce sexual harassment. We first define and discuss discrimination, harassment, and the glass ceiling, relationships between each, and relevant legislation. We next discuss the relationships between gender and sexual harassment, emphasizing the influence (...) of gender inequality on sexual harassment. We then present recommendations for organizations seeking to reduce sexual harassment, emphasizing the role that women executives may play in such efforts and, importantly, the recursive effects of such efforts on increasing the numbers of women in higher level positions in organizations. (shrink)

Recently, the study of gender has focused on processes by which gender is brought into social relations through interaction. This article explores implications of a two-sided dynamic—gendering practices and practicing of gender—for understanding gendering processes in formal organizations. Using stories from interviews and participant observation in multinational corporations, the author explores the practicing of gender at work. She defines practicing gender as a moving phenomenon that is done quickly, directionally, and nonreflexively; is informed by liminal awareness; and is in concert (...) with others. She notes how other conceptions of gender dynamics and practice inform the analysis and argues that adequate conceptualization of harmful aspects of gendering practices/practicing will require attention to agency, intentionality, awareness, and reflexivity; positions, power, and experience; and choice, accountability, and audience. She calls for incorporating the “sayings and doings” of gender into organization theory and research. (shrink)

El presente artículo explora las percepciones y las voces de un grupo de mujeres del sur peruano acerca de igualdad de género en contextos de liderazgo y toma de decisiones en organismos públicos y privados. A través de entrevistas semi-estructuradas, documentos y notas de campo y bajo el marco analítico pos-estructural feminista, nuestros hallazgos indican que a pesar de los avances en cuanto a la participación de las mujeres en espacios públicos, en la práctica, las mujeres aún siguen lidiando con (...) un sistema dominante donde persisten la discriminación de género acompañada de bar-reras estructurales, institucionales y culturales que impiden su inclusión y participación. Sin embargo, a pesar de los obstáculos organizacionales y domésticos, estas mujeres construyen sus identidades en su convivencia diaria con un activo sistema patriarcal. Las implicaciones de este artículo son de im-portancia para la generación de políticas públicas sensibles al tema de género así como para mejorar las prácticas laborales en los sectores públicos y privados. (shrink)