Women in business and leadership change: the role of diversity management strategies

The dissertation deals with a discussion and analysis of the topic of diversity management with a gender focus. The research method used in the thesis is a literature review, with references found in reports and documents provided by international organizations, institutions and academic studies. In recent years the topic of diversity management has been the focus of various debates both in labour, academic and political fields. Diversity management refers to «organizational actions that aim to promote greater inclusion of employees from different backgrounds into an organization's structure through specific policies and programs » (Corporate Finance Institute 2015). Since the central topic of the dissertation is diversity management focused on gender, the matter of gender inequality related to the labour market will be widely discussed and examined. The dissertation is divided in five paragraphs. After a brief introduction dealing with the definition and significance of diversity management, the first paragraph deals with a view on the global female participation in the labour market, followed by a narrowed focus on the European area. In the second chapter an analysis of the difficulties women face in business realities is provided, related mainly to the societal idea of the role of women in labour. Moreover, the advantages of gender equality are also discussed in this paragraph. The third paragraph carries out an analysis on the presence of women in managerial positions defined both at global and later at European level. The next paragraph reports the share of women in companies' boards and deals with the concept of quotas providing definition, use and outcomes of the provision. The closing paragraph presents an outlook on the provisions and resolutions implemented by governments and companies in order to assist and allow women to reach gender parity conditions.