Studia Humanistyczne AGH
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ISSN 2084-3364
e-ISSN: 2300-7109
Issue Date
2019
Volume
T. 18
Number
Nr 4
Description
Journal Volume
Studia Humanistyczne AGH
T. 18 (2019)
Projects
Pages
Articles
Adversity encountered in the road to gender diversity – women and men in high business positions and in scientific domains
(Wydawnictwa AGH, 2019) Pyrkosz-Pacyna, Joanna
Why does it happen in physics? Opinions of European physicists on gender inequality
(Wydawnictwa AGH, 2019) Krzaklewska, Ewa; Sekuła, Paulina; Ciaputa, Ewelina; Struzik, Justyna
The article aims to describe and analyse the opinions of European physicists as to the reasons for the overrepresentation of men in the discipline, as well as to supply some reflections on the barriers encountered by female physicists in their careers. The article is based on qualitative data – 83 in-depth interviews with female and male physicists – collected in 2016 and 2017 under the framework of the project »Gender Equality Network in European Research Area« (GENERA). The main reasons voiced by interviewees for the gender imbalance in physics are to be found »outside« the scientific institutions themselves, namely the early processes of the socialisation of girls and boys, together with existing gender stereotypes. Other reasons are related to recent developments in academia linked to work organization and structural conditions – precariousness, competitiveness, and the demand for mobility, but also to a masculinised working culture resulting in gender bias, as well as microaggressions and discrimination. In relation to recent studies showing that awareness of gender (in) equalities remains of crucial importance for structural/institutional change, the article reflects on the potential implications of the perception by physicists of the determinants of gender inequality for the implementation of gender equality policy in research organisations.
Men and women on the STEM track. Similar or diverse?
(Wydawnictwa AGH, 2019) Pyrkosz-Pacyna, Joanna; Szastok, Marta; Dukała, Karolina
Much attention has been directed towards explaining and overcoming the low representation of women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) fields. In this study, we aimed to test gender differences among men and women on the STEM track: female and male students enrolled in STEM majors. We found that women (versus men) feel less competent in STEM, value work in STEM less, and have a lower expectancy of succeeding in STEM. When it comes to career goals, women were equally agentic but more communal. We failed to find any gender differences regarding a sense of belonging to STEM, or in general behavioral intentions to engage in STEM. To conclude, although we replicated some of the hypothesis about gender differences, we found preliminary evidence that there may be indeed fewer gender differences among those already engaged in STEM than we might have expected based on the previous research.
Does time allocation matter in promotion decisions? - a case study of women managers in Aptiv Krakow Tech Center
(Wydawnictwa AGH, 2019) Zachorowska-Mazurkiewicz, Anna; Szyndera-Sołtysik, Magdalena
Each day people make decisions regarding work-life balance, and these decisions impact many aspects of their lives, including career paths. In our article we point towards the relation between time and professional careers. There are more men than women in higher managerial positions and we inquire if time allocation matters when men and women choose to accept promotion or not. We start with a literature review regarding these issues, followed by empirical studies. The empirical studies have a twofold character. First, we conduct analysis of time-use data, and then we present the case study of managers in Aptiv Krakow Tech Center. As a result of the conducted studies, it seems that time is a constraint especially for women, although in terms of the stories of individual managers it is not evident as a universal barrier.
Gender differences regarding workaholism and work-related variables
(Wydawnictwa AGH, 2019) Dudek, Iwona; Szpitalak, Malwina
The term »workaholism« was first coined by Wayne Oates (1971), and since then it has been conceptualized in a variety of ways. Most researchers agree, however, that a defining feature of workaholism is that it involves an inner compulsion to work, in which people constantly think about work (Beiler-May et al. 2017). Conclusions on workaholism are often contradictory, which may reflect a shortage of research results (Burke 1999). This also applies to research on gender differences regarding workaholism and work-related variables. The results of several studies (e.g. Burgess, Burke and Oberklaid 2006, Burke 1999, Doerfler and Kammer 1986, Spence and Robbins 1992) have been equivocal (some of them indicate that there is no relationship between gender and workaholism, while others suggest that workaholism is related to gender). The purpose of this paper is to examine gender differences in five workaholism factors and the work-related variables of perfectionism and self-handicapping. Three hundred and fourteen participants (Mean age = 29.29, SD = 12.02) took part in the study. Questionnaires were administered in a paper version. Workaholism was measured using the 25-item Work Addiction Risk Test (Robinson 1998) in Polish adaptation (Wojdyło 2005), which measures different facets of workaholism (Obsession/Compulsion, Emotional Arousal/Perfectionism, Overdoing, Outcome Orientation and Self-Worth). To test perfectionism The Polish Adaptive and Maladaptive Perfectionism Questionnaire (Szczucka 2010) was used. Self-handicapping strategies were measured using the Anticipative Strategy of Self-Esteem Protection Scale (Doliński and Szmajke 1994). Females and males were found to differ on workaholism. Women were significantly higher on average in workaholism than men (a significant difference appeared in two of the five components: Overdoing and Emotional Arousal/Perfectionism). Females also reported higher levels of maladaptive perfectionism, which is considered as a workaholic job behavior. Gender differences have also been observed in self-handicapping strategies. Women were characterized by a stronger tendency towards self-justification then men. Males, on the other hand, declared stronger emotional resilience than women. These patterns of results are consistent with the results obtained in a previous study regarding gender differences in using self-handicapping strategies (Doliński and Szmajke 1994). The obtained results can be interpreted through the prism of the roles and tasks currently given to women. On the one hand, in light of social norms, a woman should take care of the household and family, while a man is responsible for earning money to support the family (Blair-Loy 2003). On the other hand, participation of women in the workforce is increasing (Peeters, Montgomery, Bakker and Schaufeli 2005), so they may find it difficult to reconcile work and fulfilling the demands of the roles of spouses, mothers or caregivers. Our study show that women may feel more overloaded with work and they have a higher level of emotional factors than men regarding workaholism. However, one may wonder whether women’s workaholism is still underestimated. Women may find it more difficult to admit that they feel an inner compulsion to work due to gender-differentiated societal norms and expectations (Beiler-May et al. 2017: 109).