Together we stand: The impact of gender equality in the workplace on employees and firms in the Netherlands
This dissertation has examined the effects of gender composition in the workplace on five issues, being the effect of gender composition in occupations on between occupational wage inequality (1); the effect of gender composition in occupations on within occupational wage inequality between men and women (2); the effect of gender diversity on employee outcomes, being mental health, health, job satisfaction and turnover intention (3); the effect of gender diversity on corporate financial performance (4); the effect of gender diversity on market valuation (5).
I find support for the business-case of gender equality. A more equal gender composition in all layers of the firm and less gender wage inequality leads to better corporate financial performance. It is additionally beneficial for listed firms to promote their gender equality efforts on Twitter. However, these firms must be certain that this promotion matches their actual gender equality, as gender-washing is punished by stakeholders. Moreover, I do not find any impact, positive or negative, of gender diversity of firms, while taking gendered hierarchy and gender wage inequality into account, on mental health, health, job satisfaction and turnover intention. I thus do not find evidence that increased diversity efforts would benefit firms while harming their employees.
Based on chapter 3, my analysis of occupational gender segregation, I can state that diversity efforts however can have effects on wage. Men still earn more than women in gender balanced occupations, showing that realising more gender diverse occupations would not necessarily lead to gender equality in wages. Moreover, chapter 3 shows that there is a significant amount of occupational gender segregation, meaning that it can prove to be difficult for a firm to attract women or men when the firm focuses heavily on a male or female dominated occupation. Additionally, as gender balanced occupations generally pay less than male dominated occupations, gender diversity efforts should be aware of possible wage declines following higher shares of women in occupations. Some external policy might therefore be required to create gender diverse occupations and firms and fair wages.
Tang, J. (2023). Together we stand: The impact of gender equality in the workplace on employees and firms in the Netherlands. Dissertation, Maastricht University, doi:10.26481/dis.20231208jt.
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