Anais
Resumo do trabalho
Gestão Socioambiental · Responsabilidade Social Corporativa (RSC)
Título
Diversity Without Power? Assessing the Limits of Corporate Social Responsibility in Advancing Gender Diversity in Leadership Positions
Palavras-chave
Gender Diverisy
Corporate Social Responsibility
Glass Ceiling
Autores
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Rômulo Alves SoaresUniversidade de Fortaleza - UNIFOR
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Ana Rita Pinheiro de FreitasUNIVERSIDADE DE FORTALEZA (UNIFOR)
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Thayanne Lima Duarte PontesUNIVERSIDADE DE FORTALEZA (UNIFOR)
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Sílvia Maria Dias Pedro RebouçasInstituto Superior Manuel Teixeira Gomes
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Natalina Soares Ferreira OliveiraUNIVERSIDADE DE FORTALEZA (UNIFOR)
Resumo
Introdução
Persistent gender inequality in corporate leadership reflects deeper structural barriers that extend beyond individual qualifications or performance. While diversity has gained prominence in organizational discourse, many companies still struggle to translate this into equitable representation in decision-making spaces. This tension between symbolic inclusion and real power continues to shape how women and non-binary individuals access leadership positions, raising questions about the effectiveness of corporate strategies such as CSR in advancing genuine equity.
Problema de Pesquisa e Objetivo
We investigate whether corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices aimed at employees are associated with greater inclusion of women and non-binary individuals in leadership roles within Brazilian publicly traded firms. Specifically, we assess whether these effects are consistent across middle management and executive levels or whether CSR's influence varies within corporate hierarchies.
Fundamentação Teórica
The literature on the glass ceiling emphasizes the persistence of structural and symbolic barriers that hinder the career advancement of women and minorities, especially in top leadership. While CSR has been proposed as a means to promote diversity, previous studies suggest its effects are often symbolic and concentrated in visible but less influential roles. This study builds on insights from Grosser & Moon (2005) and Mun & Jung (2017), exploring the selective impact of CSR across hierarchical levels.
Metodologia
We used a balanced panel of 130 Brazilian publicly traded companies from 2022 to 2024, totaling 390 observations. Workforce diversity data from the CVM were merged with CSR employee-related scores from CSRHub. We conducted descriptive analyses, fixed-effects regressions with clustered standard errors, and instrumental variable (2SLS) models using lagged values to test the robustness of results and mitigate potential endogeneity.
Análise dos Resultados
Employee-related CSR scores in the dimensions of pay equity and labor rights were positively and significantly associated with increased odds of women and non-binary individuals holding leadership roles. However, no significant effects were observed for executive positions. These results suggest CSR may support inclusion at middle levels but lacks the power to overcome barriers at the top of the organizational hierarchy.
Conclusão
CSR practices appear effective in increasing gender inclusion in intermediate leadership roles but are insufficient to break the glass ceiling in executive positions. The findings indicate that structural and cultural barriers remain strong in the top management of Brazilian firms. Overcoming them will require more comprehensive interventions, such as binding diversity targets and governance reforms, beyond voluntary CSR initiatives.
Contribuição / Impacto
This study offers theoretical and empirical contributions by highlighting the stratified effects of CSR across organizational levels. It informs the literature by showing how CSR can legitimize diversity while maintaining existing power structures. For practitioners, it underscores the need for deeper, binding reforms to achieve genuine gender equity in corporate leadership.
Referências Bibliográficas
Grosser, K., & Moon, J. (2005). Gender mainstreaming and CSR: Reporting workplace issues. Journal of Business Ethics, 62(4), 327–340.
Mun, E., & Jung, J. (2017). Change above the glass ceiling: Corporate social responsibility and gender diversity in Japanese firms. Administrative Science Quarterly, 63(2), 409–440.
Mun, E., & Jung, J. (2017). Change above the glass ceiling: Corporate social responsibility and gender diversity in Japanese firms. Administrative Science Quarterly, 63(2), 409–440.