Stephen J. Appold Department of Sociology National University of Singapore 11 Arts Link Singapore 117570

Sununta Siengthai School of Management Asian Institute of Technology Klong Luang, Rangsit,  Pathumthani 12120, Thailand

John D. Kasarda Kenan-Flagler Business School University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, NC  27599-3440

The study reported here uses the recent rapid growth in labor demand in an emerging economy to isolate the organizational forces determining the representation of women in high-skill jobs from labor supply factors.   We test key predictions drawn from three theoretical perspectives: according to market incentive theories, firms are motivated to use human resources, including high-skill women, optimally; according to cultural theories, core national values can affect organizational gatekeepers' practices, while social psychological studies suggest that employees' preference for social homophily can make discriminatory behavior efficient.  Analysis of original survey data on 114 multinational firms headquartered in the U.S. and Japan and 40 domestic companies operating in Thailand, shows ambiguous market incentives to firms and no impact of national values on the employment of women.  The results point to male employees' preferences as the basis of gender inequality as an organizational practice.
 

Administrative Science Quarterly  43: 538-565 (1998)
 

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