Bakgrund: Sverige är ett land som jämfört med övriga länder i världen är långt fram i dess jämställdhetsarbete, där lagar kring diskriminering finns för att skydda arbetstagaren och för att främja lika rättigheter och möjligheter oavsett kön, etnisk tillhörighet och sexuell läggning etc. Trots detta visar tidigare studier att det föreligger barriärer för vissa arbetstagare vid avancemang uppåt i den organisatoriska hierarkin och således inte ges samma möjligheter. Statistik visar att det finns en stark snedfördelning mellan kvinnor och män på högre chefspositioner i Sverige där männen är överrepresenterade. En bransch som studien identifierat som jämställd på mellanchefsnivå men som fortsatt är överrepresenterad av män på högre chefspositioner är bankbranschen. Därför undersökte studien varför och hur denna snedfördelning uppstår. Syfte: Det övergripande syftet är att bidra med en förståelse för varför kvinnor är mer vanligt förekommande på lägre chefspositioner men inte på högre inom bankbranschen och få en förståelse för vilka hinder de möter eller har mött under sin yrkeskarriär. Syftet är också att få en förståelse för hur kvinnor på mellanchefsnivå inom bankbranschen upplever sina möjligheter till fortsatt avancemang. Metod: För att besvara studiens frågeställning har en kvalitativ metod använts där sju semistrukturerade intervjuer har genomförts på kvinnliga mellanchefer inom bankbranschen i en avgränsad region. Slutsats: Studien visar att genusprocesser och könskodning inom organisationer existerar och kan utgöra osynliga hinder för kvinnor. Resultatet visar också att det är kvinnorna som själva ger sig möjligheten till avancemang uppåt i hierarkin där kompetens och mod ger förutsättningar till karriär i den meningen att nå högre chefspositioner. Studien påvisar att trots värdegrunds- och jämställdhetsarbete från organisationer och samhället i stort behövs fortsatta insatser inom detta område då genusprocesser fortsatt utgör hinder för kvinnor. / Background: Sweden is a country that, compared to other countries in the world, is far ahead in its gender equality work, where laws around discrimination exist to protect workers and to promote equal rights and opportunities regardless of gender, ethnic affiliation and sexual orientation etc. Despite this, previous studies show that there are barriers for some workers in advancing up the organizational hierarchy and thus not being given the same opportunities. Statistics show that there is a strong uneven balance between women and men in higher managerial positions in Sweden where men are over-represented. This study identified the banking industry as gender equality at middle management level, but which is still over-represented by men in higher management positions is the banking industry. Therefore, this study investigated why and how this uneven balance occurs. Purpose: The overall purpose is to contribute to an understanding of why women are more common in lower managerial positions but not higher in the banking industry and gain an understanding of the obstacles these women encounter or have encountered during their professional careers. The aim is also to gain an understanding of how women at middle management level in the banking industry perceive their opportunities for further advancement. Method: To answer the study's problem, a qualitative method has been used where seven semi-structured interviews have been conducted with female middle managers within the banking industry in a delimited region. Conclusion: This study presents that gender processes and gender coding within organizations exist and can pose invisible barriers to women. The results also suggest that it is the women who give themselves the opportunity to advance upwards in the organizational hierarchy where competence and courage provide the conditions for a career in the sense of reaching higher managerial positions. The study finally presents that despite presence of human values and gender equality work from organizations and society at large, continued efforts are needed in this area as gender processes continue to be an obstacle to women.

Breaking the glass ceiling of boards of directors has been a hot topic globally for over a decade without any significant results. With an increase in demand for sustainable companies, the current composition of most of the boards of directors is contradictory, where homogeneous boards of directors are more a rule than an exception. Contradicting the fact that diverse teams are proven to make better, long-termed, and more sustainable decisions. Small and medium-sized enterprises are often neglected in the debate to increase diversity in boards of directors, even though they hold most of all boards of directors’ positions. Investigating the small and medium-sized enterprises this paper aims to explore how to break the glass ceiling of the boards of directors in Denmark. Similar to Norway where quotas with boardrooms have been introduced in 2008, this study also wants to reexamine the general attitude towards hard legislation or find alternatives in form of other legislation in Denmark. Therefore, it is essential to understand the dynamics and habits of the boards of directors. This study has through semi-structured interviews investigated the culture of boards of directors to find the barriers of the boardrooms and how to break them down. A recruitment company has tried to offer a new way of recruiting for boards of directors through open positions. Here has the researchers conducted qualitative research to investigate their impact on gender and age in boards of directors, to see if the open positions can exhilarate the implementation of diversity in the board rooms. The results of the study show that there is a need to educate small and medium-sized enterprises on the benefits of diverse boards of directors. The boards of directors are primarily recruited through networks of its members, making it difficult to increase diversity. The reason for recruiting through networks is primarily due to a lack of understanding of both the function of boards of directors and a wish to keep the information of the company close to themselves. The overall attitude towards legislation is mixed with a small overweight against quotas. Mainly from an individual point of view is quotas are seen as an undesirable means for increasing diversity in boards of directors. The recruitment company has been proven cable of recruiting younger candidates. However, not significantly change the percentages of female representations where only a slight increase of women in some positions is seen.

Studiens syfte är att undersöka hur diskursen om glastaket har förändrats under en tjugoårsperiod. Detta med avsikt att utifrån ett genusvetenskapligt angreppsätt belysa vilka föreställningar och maktstrukturer mellan kvinnor och män som förändring i diskursen bygger på. Mina frågeställningar följer mitt syfte. Mina avgränsningar är kön/genus, den ojämna könsfördelningen på svenskt näringsliv och en tjugoårsperiod. Dessa avgränsningar grundar sig i mitt material som är två statliga offentliga utredningar från 1997 och 2014 som har behandlat glastaket. Uppsatsens teori och metod består av en kritisk diskursanalys, varav teoridelen består av Faircloughs tredimensionella modell. Slutsatsen dras från resultatet som visar att diskursen om glastaket har förändrats, från ett fokus på en diskurs om befattningssegregering med faktorer som ålder, arbetstid och utbildning till förändring med faktorerna jämställdhet, genus och föräldraskap. De föreställningar och maktstrukturer mellan kvinnor och män som förändringen bygger på är isärhållning av kön och manlig överordning. / The aim of this essay is to examine how the discourse of the glass ceiling has changed in twenty years. This with an approach of gender studies highlight which performances and power structures between women and men this change is based on. My questions follow my aim. My delimitations are sex/gender, the unequal gender distribution in Swedish industry and a twenty-year period. This is based on my material that are two State public reports from 1997 and 2014 that have treated the glass ceiling. The theory and method are a critical discourse analysis, whereof the theory is Faircloughs three-dimensional model. The conclusion can be drawn from the results and it shows that the discourse of the glass ceiling has changed, from a focus on position segregation to change. The performances and power structures between women and men that this change is based on are separating the sexes and male superiority.

American conglomerates are accountable for the underrepresentation of African American women (AAW) in high-ranking roles. Though some progress is documented, this study revealed that inequalities and stereotypical practices still exist. This transcendental phenomenology study explored the leadership development and lived experiences of 25 high-ranking AAW. All participants worked in private or public sectors, resided in America, and held high-ranking positions within the last 5 years. The goal was to explore the lived experience of AAW and uncover any strategies used to address the influence of intersectionality on leadership development that could abate barriers and create career pathways for forthcoming AAW leaders. During the literature review process, the education sector emerged as the most studied area, exposing substantial gaps in literature concentrated on other sectors. For this study, a broader range of industries was explored that could enhance existing leadership and management practices and augment the body of knowledge in multiple sectors. The theory of Black feminism guided the study, and the conceptual framework of intersectionality corroborated the intersecting barriers caused by gender, race, and class unique to AAW. Purposive samples and open-ended questions designed to guide semistructured interviews, supported by the modified van Kaam data analysis technique, were implemented. The social implications of this study go beyond simple diversity in the workplace to highlight a highly resilient and capable talent pool of AAW who bring new perspectives to senior leadership roles that will enhance organizational resilience, contributing to the economic growth of the organizations they lead.

Glass ceiling is a phenomenon that describes an abstract barrier that hinders career progression and promotion to higher management positions. A majority of studies regarding this discrimination in workplaces have solely focused on women as victims. The purpose of this study is to investigate how the phenomenon is expressed in workplaces and how it could also be intersectionally conditioned by examining how experts perceive glass ceiling discrimination, which is related to several grounds of discrimination. A phenomenographic approach has been implemented to capture perceptions from experts through semi-constructed interviews along with an extraction and examination of several documents to strengthen their perspectives. The experts' contributions are evaluated through a social constructivist approach. The findings of glass ceiling are separated into different themes: individual, situational, and cultural as well as interpersonal relationship barriers. The glass ceiling discrimination has been shown to mostly affect women; however, intersectional factors have shown to create various power structures that strengthen discrimination for individuals who belong to multiple grounds of discrimination. The study contributes to an unique viewpoint of how discrimination and the glass ceiling can occur in workplaces today. The findings are useful when working with discrimination- and gender equality.

No description available.

Although the topic is trending globally, clear steps forward for female leadership are yet to be made. This is impacted even more by the fact that little empirical research has been conducted to examine the attitudes towards females in managerial positions from different countries' point of view. Therefore, the aim of this research is to get an understanding of the current state of affairs of female leadership in a more global context, with input from both developed and developing countries. Specifically, it explores the similarities and differences of female leadership challenges in Afghanistan and The Netherlands. To explore challenges experienced by, as well as strategies of, Afghan and Dutch female leaders, a qualitative study was conducted. Ten semi-structured interviews were done in-person and through video calls, consisting of 5 interviews for each country. Ten participants, meeting the criteria of holding a leadership/management position, were chosen through convenience sampling. The results showed significant similarities and differences in female leadership challenges, as well as strategies.  The unfortunate entanglement of culture in Afghanistan, under Taliban rule, has resulted in the oppression of female leaders. In the Netherlands, female leadership progress appears idealized. Nevertheless, female leaders in both countries share similar strength and strategies to cope with challenges themselves because society seemingly fails to bring change. As the results also show leadership skills specific to female leaders, societies and organizations worldwide should spread awareness and take action in gender equality, unlocking the full potential of female leadership.

Diskriminering är ett globalt fenomen som i dagens samhälle är oacceptabelt i många länder och kulturer. Det är något som drabbar många människor runt om i världen och många gånger är det av skäl man som person inte kan ändra på. Med den ökande globaliseringen och medvetenheten om vad som kan betraktas som acceptabelt och oacceptabelt har diskrimineringen hamnat högre upp på agendan. Detta har medfört att diskriminering inte bara prioriteras utav stater men också inom den privata sektorn. I denna kvalitativa studie undersöks hur diskriminering mot minoritetsgrupper påverkar de i arbetslivet. De delar som berörs under undersökningen är anställningsprocessen, arbetet och grupperingar i arbetet men även karriärmöjligheter. Undersökningsmetoden bestod utav kvalitativa intervjuer där respondenterna fick svara på frågor hur de uppfattade de olika sakerna baserat på deras arbetslivserfarenheter. Undersökningen omfattade sju personer där alla hade en kandidatexamen inom ekonomi, de olika respondenterna arbetade på olika arbetsplatser och olika arbetsuppgifter. Den teorier som använts är teorier som behandlar rekryteringsprocesser, diskriminering, stigmatisering och organisationsteori. Efter att ha analyserat det empiriska data och teorierna så visar forskningen på att det finns en viss del diskriminering på arbetsmarknaden. Dock är den väldigt beroende på faktorer som vart man arbetar och vilken typ av medarbetare man har på arbetsplatsen. / Discrimination is a global phenomenon today and is unacceptable in various countries and cultures. It is something that affect people around the world and often it’s for reasons that cannot change. With the increasing globalization and awareness of what can be acceptable and unacceptable discrimination has ended up higher in the agenda. This means that discrimination is not only prioritized by states but also in the private sector. This qualitative study examines how discrimination against minority groups affects them in working life. The parts that are affected during the survey are the hiring process, the work and groupings at work, but also career opportunities. The survey method consisted of qualitative interviews where the respondents had to answer questions about how they perceived the different things based on their work experiences. The theories used are theories that deal with recruitment processes, discrimination, stigma and organizational theory. After analyzing the empirical data and theories, the research shows that there is a certain amount of discrimination in the labor market. However, it is very dependent on factors such as where you work and what type of employee you have in the workplace.

No description available.

Näringslivet kantas av en stundande underrepresentation av kvinnor på toppositioner. Därav är syftet med studien att skapa en förståelse kring vad det innebär och hur det upplevs för kvinnor att nå toppositioner i mansdominerade branscher. Vi kommer också att belysa vilka möjligheter och utmaningar kvinnorna fått möta under sin karriärväg till den toppositionen de idag besitter. Vår ambition är att undersöka den kvinnliga närvaron i toppskiktets upplevelser och erfarenheter av att vara minoritet i en svensk kontext. Studien bygger på en kvalitativ forskningsmetod med det empiriska insamlade materialet bestående av 8 stycken intervjuer med kvinnor i ledande befattning i högt uppsatt position verksamma inom olika, till synes mansdominerade branscher, runt om i Skåne, Blekinge och Västra Götaland. För att till fullo förstå den sociala företeelse som studeras, har vi konstruerat en teoretisk referensram som inkluderar relevanta teorier för studien. Vår studie resulterade i att kvinnor till största del anställs till en topposition utav män för att ersätta en annan man då organisationen befinner sig under mindre stabila förutsättningar. Resultaten visar på att de faktorer som gynnat kvinnorna i deras karriärväg är personliga egenskaper, kompetens och nätverk. Kvinnorna upplever utmaningar i de höga toppositionerna genom olika strukturella hinder till följd av deras könstillhörighet som kvinnor i många avseenden skapar själva. En reflektion från resultatet är därför att en jämställdhet i toppskiktet och en jämnare maktfördelning skulle leda till nyansering och ökad lönsamhet men framförallt leda till en jämnare könsfördelning fördelaktigt utifrån moral och social rättvisa. Sammanfattningsvis har vi kunnat fastställa att jämställdhetsprocessen förändras långsamt i toppskiktet, till följd av ökade institutionella krav från omvärlden. / *: Business life is edged by an imminent underrepresentation of women in top positions. Hence, the aim of the study is to create an understanding of what it means and how it has felt for women to reach top positions in male-dominated industries. We will also highlight the opportunities and challenges the women had to face during their career path to the top position they hold today. Our ambition is to investigate the female presence in the top layer's experiences and experiences of being a minority in a Swedish context. The study is based on a qualitative research method with the empirically collected material consisting of 8 interviews with women in senior positions in high-ranking positions active in various, seemingly male-dominated industries, around Skåne, Blekinge and Västra Götaland. To fully understand the social phenomenon that studies, we have constructed a theoretical frame of reference that includes relevant theories for study. Our study resulted in that women mostly being hired to a top position by men to replace a man when the organization is under less stable conditions. The results show that factors that have benefited women in their career path are personal characteristics, competence and networks. The women experience challenges in the high top positions through various structural obstacles as a result of their gender, which women in many respects create themselves. A reflection from the result is therefore that equality in the top layer and a more even distribution of power would lead to nuance and increased profitability, but above all lead to a more even gender distribution advantageously based on morality and social justice. In summary, we have been able to determine that the equality process is changing slowly in the top layer, as a result of increased institutional demands from the outside world. This thesis is written in Swedish.