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Women in Industrial Relations: Overcoming Gender Biases

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Building Trust and Constructive Conflict Management in Organizations

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Abstract

Although the promotion of equality is central to the mainstream field of industrial relations, employment relationships and human resource policies continue to be designed according to the male breadwinner ideal. In this chapter, we examine from a gender perspective some of the antecedents and implications of this phenomenon. We review evidence that many conditions of employment such as wages, job security, or access to power positions have particular negative effects for female employees. At the same time, we underscore the many economic and cultural transformations occurred in the labor market, society and work configurations, which bring new opportunities for women’s advancement in employment conditions. In relation to this, we identify strategies that might help women overcome current obstacles and gender biases, and highlight the role of (and benefits for) IR agents in such transformation toward gender equality.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Deusto Business School, Bilbao, Spain

    Leire Gartzia & Josune Baniandrés

  2. Faculty of Psychology and Education, University of Deusto, Bilbao, Spain

    Alejandro Amillano

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  1. Leire Gartzia
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  2. Alejandro Amillano
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  3. Josune Baniandrés
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Correspondence to Leire Gartzia .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. IESEG Sch of Mgnt, Paris, France

    Patricia Elgoibar

  2. Faculty of Psychology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

    Martin Euwema

  3. Faculty of Psychology, University of Seville, Seville, Spain

    Lourdes Munduate

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Gartzia, L., Amillano, A., Baniandrés, J. (2016). Women in Industrial Relations: Overcoming Gender Biases. In: Elgoibar, P., Euwema, M., Munduate, L. (eds) Building Trust and Constructive Conflict Management in Organizations. Industrial Relations & Conflict Management. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31475-4_12

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