Women in Management. Experiences from Central and Eastern European Countries

This symposium is intended to explore and present conceptual, theoretical and empirical research that showcase the experience of work and management of women in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). The aim is to expand discussion about women in professional settings in CEE, considering regions’ specific socio-cultural, political and economic circumstances. Moreover, it also aims to identity future research potential, building upon latest and relevant research in the region (Griessbach and Ettl, 2020; Havran, Primecz and Lakatos, 2020; Lauzadyte-Tutliene, Balezentis, and Goculenko, 2018; Lipovka and Buzady, 2020; Lisowska, 2019; Rybnikova, Souslby and Blazejewski, 2020; Zachorowska- Mazurkiewicz, 2006). 

The topic of women in organizations is still under researched within CEE and as a result underrepresented in academic literature. Our overview of top gender and management academic journals, showcases that research from CEE region constitute less than 1 percent of publications. Majority of research published on the topic in international journals concern western Europe and US, while little voice has been given to scholars from CEE. Within the broad field of gender and organizations, CEE has maintained its status of a non-region, as stated during the World Conference on Women held in 1995 in Beijing; Eastern Europe, "belonging to neither the developing nor the developed world," had been ignored in global debates (Nowicka, 2014).

CEE region is an interesting place to discuss gender and organizations. As on one hand, during the communist times the importance of gender equality was emphasized, whereas on the other, the actual inequalities were significant. CEE region alike other regions have ongoing discussion on the introduction of quotas, increasing the proportion of women on boards, gender equality in organizations and gender pay gap. In the same time, the society seems to be still attached to the conservative and stereotypical division of gender roles. Despite the growing number of women in labour markets in CEE, still little is known about the experiences of women in region. Data indicate that CEE countries have relatively high women shares in the labour market as well as management positions in public and private institutions.

On the other hand, it should be emphasized that the region is highly diversified and should not be treated without distinction to its specific countries and cultures (Rybnikova, Soulsby and Blazejewski, 2020). We hope to discuss the differences and similarities that can be visible across CEE, as there exist significant differences between CEE countries concerning the access to labor market, maternity leaves, retirement, attitude towards quotas, gender stereotypes and expectations towards women (Lauzadyte-Tutliene, Balezentis, and Goculenko, 2018). The diverse voices of women in the region are still not sufficiently researched and documented in the academic literature. Thus, voices presenting their experiences and challenges at work are needed, as well as different points of view from countries from the region.

We are interested in works that explore diverse nature of women’s experiences in work and management in the CEE region. We invite contributions that address (but are not limited to) the following topics:

• Experiences of women in work and management in CEE
• Gendered intersectionality
• Career trajectories of successful women leaders
• Comparative analysis of experiences of women in work and management in CEE
• Work-life balance demands and its impact on work
• Pressures, expectations and perception of women in work environment
• Power dynamics at work environment
• Policies aimed to support women at work

Scientific committee is happy discuss ideas for papers with potential contributors.

1. Griessbach, L. and Ettl, K. (2020). “The entrepreneutial ecosystem and its impact on female managers in transition economics: The case of Georgia.” In. Rybnikova, I., Soulsby, A. and Blazejewski (eds), Women in Management in Central and Eastern European Countries, Nomos, Baden-Baden, Germany. 

2. Havran, D. Primecz, H. and Lakatos, Z. (2020). “Does female presence on corporate boards impact firm performance? Evidence from listed firms in Centreal Eastern Europe.” In. Rybnikova, I., Soulsby, A. and Blazejewski (eds), Women in Management in Central and Eastern European Countries, Nomos, Baden-Baden, Germany. 

3. Lauzadyte-Tutliene, A., Balezentis, T., Goculenko, E. (2018). “Welfare State in Central and Eastern Europe.” Economics and Sociology, 11(1), 100-123. doi:10.14254/2071-789X.2018/11-1/7

4. Lipovka, A. and Buzady, Z. (2020). “Gender stereotypes about managers: a comparative study of Central- Eastern Europe and Central Asia.” In. Rybnikova, I., Soulsby, A. and Blazejewski (eds), Women in Management in Central and Eastern European Countries, Nomos, Baden-Baden, Germany. 

5. Lisowska, E. (2019). “Women at managerial positions and the competetiveness of companies.”, Women and Business, 1-4, pp. 31-38

6. Nowicka, W. (2014), The Beijing Platform for Action Turns 20. Commitments made twenty years ago have not been achieved yet. UN Women, Retrieved from https://beijing20.unwomen.org/en/news-and-events/stories/2014/11/beijing-what-commitments-made-twenty-years-ago-have-not-been-achieved-yet 

7. Rybnikova, I. Souslby, A. and Blazejewski, S. (2020) “Women in management in Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries: All quiet on the eastern front?”, In. Rybnikova, I., Soulsby, A. and Blazejewski (eds), Women in Management in Central and Eastern European Countries, Nomos, Baden-Baden, Germany. 

8. Zachorowska-Mazurkiewicz A. [2006], Kobiety i instytucje. Ko¬biety na rynku pracy w Stanach Zjednoczonych, Unii Europej¬skiej i w Polsce, Wydawnictwo Naukowe Śląsk, Katowice