Public Management and Gender: women experiences in entering and occupying positions in a Brazilian city

Abstract Although there are shared experiences of women's lives, they are distinct considering the socio-cultural profile of a given location. From this perspective, research considering gender and management are limited in the Brazilian context. This article seeks to investigate women experiences in entering and occupying public management positions in a Brazilian city. This is a qualitative and exploratory research. Women who work in public management leadership positions were interviewed. The data were analyzed through interpretative analysis developed with the support of the NVivo®11 software. Women remain underrepresented in city management compared to the number of men who occupy the same positions and there is a clear gender gap. The results also highlight discriminatory practices, gender bias and cultural barriers. The research provides relevant insights into the relationship between gender and public management, it also reinforces the literature, since the findings are added to further researches to reveal the female performance challenges in public management. It proposes that still remains the challenge to change organizational and social attitudes.

摘要 尽管女性的生活存在共通体验，但结合特定地域的社会文化特征来看，其处境仍存在显著差异。据此视角，针对巴西语境下性别与管理主题的相关研究仍较为匮乏。本文旨在探究某巴西城市中女性入职并担任公共管理职位的相关经历。本研究属于质性探索性研究，访谈对象为任职于公共管理领导岗位的女性，并借助NVivo®11软件所支持的阐释性分析方法对采集到的数据进行分析。相较于任职于同类岗位的男性，女性在城市管理岗位中的占比仍严重不足，性别差距显著。研究结果同时揭示了歧视性做法、性别偏见与文化壁垒的存在。本研究为性别与公共管理之间的关联提供了富有价值的洞见，同时丰富了相关学术文献：本次研究发现可为后续探究女性在公共管理领域履职所面临的挑战提供参考依据。研究同时指出，转变组织与社会层面的固有观念仍是一项长期挑战。