Introduction: Perspectives on Women in Management Research

Author(s): Wendy Doyle

Source: Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 9, No. 4/5, Perspectives on Women in Management
Research (Apr. - May, 1990), pp. 243-245
Published by: Springer
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25072032 .
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Introduction: onWomen inManagement
Perspectives
Research Wendy Doyle

Women in
Management has only recently become a thisWomen in
Management Research Symposium.
fieldof teaching and research activity. Although the an excellent review of the reasons
They provide why
number of women in the workforce has increased research on women in management is so important
from 3 680 000 to 5 382 000 between 1975 and 1985, as well as the
methodological problems and chal
an increase of 46.3%, (Women in the Labour Force, researchers. These papers also a
lenges facing give
the advancement of women in management survey of existing research and the questions that
1987),
has not kept pace. An ever-increasing number of need to be explored in the main women in manage
?
researchers are the reasons for this slow ment areas careers, education and
investigating leadership,
of women in management as well as
advancement training, and entrepreneurship.
the growing phenomenon of female entrepreneur The papers on Research Methodology begin
with Uma Sekaran's paper "Frontiers and New Vistas
ship.
On 27, 28, and 29, 1988, Mount Saint inWomen in Research" which exam
April Management
Vincent Halifax, Novain co
Scotia ines the
legitimacy of Women in
Management
University,
operation with the Canadian Federation of Deans of research, highlights the
significant issues, and pre
sents a as well as
Management and Administrative Studies hosted six critique of research methodologies
which reviewed the existing research in recommendations for further research. Next, in a
workshops
various women in management areas. The paper entitled "AreWomen Different and Why are
appropri
ateness of the used in this research was Women to be Different? Theoretical and
methodology Thought
reviewed and future research directions were also Perspectives" Ann Gregory presents
Methodological
a macro overview of the various research method
explored.
The researchers used in areas such as
symposium brought together ologies gender differences,
from across Canada as well as from other countries. differential treatment of female and male managers,
indicated that the papers presented and sexual harassment and dual careers. Then Ellen A.
Participants
the ensuing discussion were most valuable. Because extends the research area of
Fagenson gender differ
there was a sufficient volume and
quality of research
ences to and
person-centered, organization-centered
to date, itwas deemed very to review the interactionist in her paper "At the Heart
appropriate perspectives
past and reflect upon the future of this research area. of Women in Management Research: Theoretical
a on and and Their Biases".
Participants agreed that symposium focusing Methodological Approaches
the research issues in the Women in Management P. Moore in a paper entitled "An Examina
Dorothy
area was both and tion of Present Research on the Female
timely necessary. Entrepr
eneur:
The papers included in this issue o? the
Journal of Suggested Research Strategies for the 1990's"
Business Ethics are the papers that were at reviews the research issues and and sug
presented problems
new research areas in female
gests entrepreneurship.
The Leadership papers examine some of the
encounter in
Wendy Doyle isChair of theDepartment of Business Administra problems which female managers gain
access to and
tion at Mount Saint Vincent
University, Halifax,
Nova Scotia, ing maintaining positions of leadership
Canada and was Chair of theWomen inManagement Research and address possible solutions to these
problems.
Karen Korabik in her paper and Lead
Symposium. "Androgyny

Journal ofBusinessEthics 9: 243-245,1990.

? 1990Kluwer Academic Publishers.Printed in theNetherlands.

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 244WendyDoyle

on chies. Melanie Conn's "No Bosses Here:

ership Style" discusses how the past emphasis paper,
sex as a determinant of leadership ability in Worker describes
biological Management Co-operatives"
has resulted in stereotypes which have prevented worker co-operatives and the Community Options
women In a Train
from attaining positions of leadership. Program. "Formal and Informal Management
Women in Canada: Who Seems to
paper entitled "Individual and Organizational Char ing Programs for
acteristics of Women in be Doing a Good Job?" by Dina Lavoie examines
Managerial Leadership",
and A. R. Cahoon discuss the factors some of the considerations for management
Julie Rowney training
of women concerns
which affect the promotion into leader programs for women. The major issues and
ship positions. This is followed by Ronald Burke and by those engaged
in management education and
Carol McKeen's paper, "Mentoring in
Organizations: for women outside Canada are
training highlighted
Implications for Women" which discusses the ways and the resulting practical and research implications
in which lack of mentoring the perfor are discussed M. Natalie Lam in her paper
hampers by
mance of women managers and the ways in which "Management Training for Women: International
can women's and Lessons for Canada". Then, Glenis
cross-mentoring relationships improve Experiences
Joyce in and Women: Some
leadership potential. "Training Thoughts
The papers on Careers Irene Devine from the Grassroots" uses a feminist to
begin with perspective
and Dorothy Markiewicz's paper entided "Cross-Sex review current and values of manage
assumptions
at Work and the ment
Relationships Impact of Gender training.
to men In the first in the Entrepreneurship
Stereotypes" which explores reactions and paper
women involved in mutual sexual attractions at section, "Socio-Economic Evolution of Women
In the next on in Quebec
work. paper careers, "Dual-Career Business Owners (1987)" Pierre Collerette
and Dual-Income Families: Do They Have Different and Paul G. Aubry report the results of a large scale
Loren and Mary Monachello 917 female entrepreneurs in Quebec and a
Needs?" Falkenberg study of
review the literature on families where both spouses 441 male entrepreneurs, both con
parallel study of
are and a model of the problems experi ducted in 1986. This was followed by Helene Lee
working
enced by spouses
in dual-income families is devel Gosselin and Jacques Gris?'s paper "Are Women
Dallas Cullen's "Career Barriers: Do We our Definitions of
oped. paper Owner-Managers Challenging
Need More Research?" discusses how much of the An In-Depth Survey" which des
Entrepreneurship?
research on career barriers has taken an cribes the results of a questionnaire survey of 400
existing
women from and in-depth
'individualistic' approach and been concerned with entrepreneurs Quebec
attitudes toward women in management, women's interviews with 80 of these women. Next isMonica
attitudes towards and commitment to their careers, Belcourt's paper, "A Family Portrait of Canada's
and on personal and professional skills that women Most Successful Female Entrepreneurs" which is
need to succeed in a managerial career. She recom based on a qualitative research study of 36 estab
mends that future research be directed at organiza lished women entrepreneurs from various parts of
tional characteristics which act as barriers to Canada. The last paper in this section, "Some
women's career progress. The final paper in this Problems Associated with Research
Methodological
section, "Stop or Go: Reflections of Women Man ing Women Entrepreneurs" by Lois Stevenson dis
on Factors Their Career cusses the male nature of entrepre
agers Influencing Develop gender-specific
ment" by Caroline Andrew, C?cile Coderre and Ann neurship research and the exclusion of women in the
Denis examines the barriers and facilitating mecha development of entrepreneurship theories.
nisms which affect the career of In the section, Future Research Directions,
development
women
managers.
Ronald J. Burke and Dorothy Mikalachki's paper,
The Education and Training papers begin "The Women in
Management Research Program at
with Deirdre Grondin's "Research, Myths, and Ex The National Centre for Management Research and
New for Management Educa describes the Centre and the devel
pectations: Challenges Development",
tors" in which she discusses the three factors which opment of their women in management research
have handicapped management educators in prepar In addition, they provide a summary of the
program.
women to 'reach the
top' of corporate hierar issues and future research topics raised at the work
ing

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 Introduction 245

on Women in the Workforce held at the committee members who made the
shop organizing
NCMRD in 1987 and conclude with a call for so successful and worthwhile. I would
symposium
research proposals on three specific women in man also like to thank the Canadian Federation of Deans
agement research themes. of Management and Administrative Studies and the
The papers presented at theWomen in Mount Saint Vincent Institute for the
Manage University
ment Research Symposium generated much discus Study of Women for their support and encourage
sion and many ideas for future research. I hope that ment.

the publication of these papers in the

Journal of
Business Ethics will further this discussion and en Mount St. Vincent
University,
courage more research on women in management. Nova Scotia,
Halifax,
Iwould like to thank the editors of theJournal of Canada.
Business Ethics and the authors, and
participants

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