Chapter 8: Caveman Meritocracy: Misrepresenting Women Managers Online

The online comment above was posted in response to a feature article published in a web-based Finnish business newspaper, Taloussanomat (Ranta, 2012). The article itself drew attention to the reasons why women seldom make it to the upper echelons of companies in Finland. It built on a Chamber of Commerce report published some months earlier that examined women’s representation in top management and on corporate boards of directors (Turunen, 2012). The text, supportive of women in management and written in an upbeat and playful style, attracted a large number of online comments that were often belittling and abusive of women managers.