Date of Award
2008
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Supervisor
Dr. Tracey Adams
Abstract
This thesis seeks to better our understanding of senior executives’, and especially women executives’, experiences of employment and advancement in senior management. It considers whether gender is a significant determinant of career success by examining the experiences of both male and female managers, and the barriers and opportunities they highlight as being important. In this study, women’s experiences in the labor force were contextualized in a transitional period with significant social change in China. This study adds to the literature by exploring how some successful women overcome gender-related barriers and manage to reach the top. The data have been collected from my interviews with 15 senior executives in corporate management in China. I analyze the accounts and conclude that women executives in China work in deeply gendered environments, and there are considerable barriers and challenges to women’s advancement. Nonetheless, by
strategically drawing on a variety of resources, some women have been able to navigate this gendered environment successfully and reach the top.
Recommended Citation
Li, Hui Ariel, "IRON ROSES BLOOMING AMIDST THISTLE AND THORNS: SENIOR WOMEN EXECUTIVES IN TRANSITIONAL CHINA" (2008). Digitized Theses. 4899.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/digitizedtheses/4899