THE GENDER-GAP IN WORKPLACE AUTHORITY - A CROSS-NATIONAL-STUDY

We explore a range of issues concerning the gender gap in workplace au thority in seven countries (the United Stares, Canada, the United King dom, Australia, Sweden, Norway and Japan). There are six main empirica l conclusions. First, there is considerable cross-national variation i n the gender gap in authority: The gap is lowest in the four English-s peaking countries (especially the United States and Australia) and hig hest in Japan. Second, the gender gap in authority within countries an d the pattern of cross-national variation do not appear to be the resu lt of gender differences in personal attributes or employment settings . Third, the self-selection hypothesis (that women choose nor to seek authority because of family responsibilities) does not appear to accou nt for much of the gender gap in authority, except perhaps in Canada. Fourth, we find little support for the ''glass-ceiling'' hypothesis th at barriers to upward promotions for women in authority hierarchies ar e greater than the barriers they face in getting into hierarchies in t he first place. Fifth, in the United States the barriers faced by wome n already in hierarchies are weaker than in other countries, and proba bly weaker than the barriers they faced to enter hierarchies in the fi rst place. Finally we find suggestive evidence that these variations a cross countries in the gender gap in authority are explained by the in teraction between the availability of managerial positions and the cap acity of politically organized women's movements to challenge barriers to women gaining authority in the workplace.