Observations through gendered lenses: experiences of managerial women

Abstract

This paper explores how gendered contexts within and around Australian organisations over a 12-year period restrict and place boundaries around women's managerial aspirations. The study finds that three types of gendered lenses typically depict various systems of oppression: mono-cultural, statistical, and structural. The discussion explores the relationships between each type noting that particular characteristics work to reinforce and interlink each to the other. The network effects are discussed and different coping strategies employed by women in management outlined over the period. A number of metaphors appropriately capture the essence of gender struggles and inequality over the three stages of the study: early (1995-1998), transition (1999-2002), and emergent (2003-2006).