The relationship between gender and performance issues of concern to directors: Correlates or institution?

This paper focuses on the influence of gender on performance issues which concern directors of publicly traded corporations in Israel. Two theoretical perspectives for the explanation of gender differences in occupations were examined. The first views gender as an individual-level property that is correlated with occupational and job variables and the behavioral differences between men and women as the result of these correlates. According to this perspective, when the correlates of gender are controlled, these differences disappear. The second perspective treats gender not only as a property that individuals bring with them to the workplace, but also as an institutionalized characteristic of the workplace, of occupations, and of occupational environments, as embedded in formally defined rules, roles and responsibilities. Consequently, gender influences are not easily eliminated. The dependent variable was the extent to which men and women differ in their concerns regarding their roles as directors. The independent variables included human, social capital and organizational context variables, and gender. Data were collected by means of questionnaires from a representative sample of directors (98 women and 127 men). The findings lend partial support for a view of gender as a social institution and directors as a gendered occupation.