Gender in Organisations tackles the complicated and extensive area of research that is gender in the workplace. Ronald Burke and Debra Major begin this book by providing an overview of the different topics in Gender in Organisations. With this being such a wide theme, the authors make the most of the existing experts in the field and have constructed the book in such a way that each chapter is written by a different individual, who is a specialist in that particular area of research.
The authors begin Chapter 1 by outlining the current role of men and women in the world of work. This is followed by an assessment of relevant studies and recent research which helps to outline the complex changes occurring in modern day life in terms of the two genders in organisations. The areas of research covered in the introduction are the pay gap between women and men, discrimination, university graduates, educational achievements of both genders, success of organisations with females in charge and much more. The authors take a clear stand on the topic and argue that although many women now achieve highly in terms of status in organisations, it is clear that more needs to be done and that there is still a lot of room for improvement.
Major and Burke also highlight some of the major problems with studies when explaining and evaluating the relevant pieces of research conducted into the topic; such as some researchers blaming women for ‘not working hard enough’ and only considering specific types of women who already have contacts and status in their research. Reading this in-depth analysis of studies gives the reader confidence that the authors are really providing a comprehensive overview and breakdown of previously conducted research. This chapter ends on an important note which is often not brought up in other books on the same topic; namely, the fact that many business initiatives within organisations focus on helping women but the same initiatives ignore the men. It makes sense that in order to change any organisation in terms of gender equality, both men and women are required to support the initiatives.
The rest of the book is organised into three sections covering masculinity and its discontents, gender organisational cultures and male privilege and finally, men as allies: signs of progress. One of the most interesting chapters is Chapter 7 which focuses on the causes and consequences of workaholism. The author mainly focuses on providing an extensive overview on the topic; although the information is useful and informs the reader of exactly what workaholism is, the relevance of the topic is not clear till the end of the chapter and leaves the reader perplexed as to why so much emphasis is put onto workaholism as opposed to gender in organisations. Towards the end of the chapter, the reason behind this becomes clear as it seems that there has not been much research conducted into the topic of gender and workaholism. It is also evident that results of the existing research are mixed. Interestingly, the chapter highlights that there does not seem to be much difference in the two genders when considering workaholism although it would be expected that there would be a difference. However, overall it is clear that more needs to be done in this area to really understand how workaholism affects the two genders.
Another chapter that stands out is Chapter 11 which focuses on “male backlash: penalties for men who violate gender stereotypes”. This is an important chapter as it shows how this specific book looks at each aspect of the topic at hand. In the same way that research focuses on stereotypes of women and the effects of this, it is vital to also consider the same for men. The typical male stereotype is ever present and in the workplace it leads to men struggling to ask for help, especially from other males, to avoid violating the stereotype and looking “weak”. However, living up to the stereotype also has its negative effects on males in terms of health and relationships. This leads the author of this chapter to suggest that backlash must be identified by organisations to allow both genders to reach their full potential.
Unlike most other books there is no closing chapter at the end of the book to sum up everything that has been discussed. Instead, each chapter has its own conclusion which puts the information into context and provides an understanding of how the information in the chapter is related to whether men and women are allies in the workplace. Additionally, the authors throughout the book take a contemporary and modern perspective when considering the relevant research in each chapter. This type of viewpoint provides real insight into some of the out-dated theories and studies out there and brings up questions that really encourage the reader to think about the topic at hand.
The knowledge and expertise of the authors of Gender in Organisations also really shines through and having a different author for each chapter is effective in keeping the reader engaged throughout the book. This is certainly an intriguing read as the book is bursting with detailed information on the topic; it is everything you would expect and more.
