This thesis is a study of gender and organisation in Sri Lanka, a society of diverse cultural identities. The research question addresses factors related to women and men's orientations to work and the extent to which institutional factors, located in the broader societal context of Sri Lankan organisations, add explanatory power in analysis of the degree of job satisfaction and work perceptions. The thesis also investigates the relationship between organisational level attributes and the understanding of managers' work perceptions, as well as seeking variation at the institutional level. The main research instrument was a questionnaire, and quantitative data was generated from field surveys of 382 Sri Lankan male and female managers. The data is stratified randomly, forming a sample of top, middle and junior level managers. These managers belong to diverse Sri Lankan organisations in terms of size, ownership, and line of business. The findings illustrate that organisational level attributes have greater explanatory power in interpreting the work perceptions of male and female managers in Sri Lanka than do the institutional factors. However, qualitative interviews that were conducted reveal the salience of institutional factors to explain aspects of work perceptions. Organisational policies and recommendations that can be derived from this finding are elaborated in the conclusions. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)