Project management has become an important field in the modern society. It is rapidly growing into one of the most effective methods of completing small and large projects. The success of a project is one of the most important aspects of the field. Although there are numerous factors that may influence the success or failure of a project, the responsibility of the performance of the project lays on the hands of the project manager (Neuhauser, 2007). For a long time, project based work was a male dominated field (Henderson & Stackman, 2010). However, over the past few decades, the number of women professionals in the field has increases significantly. However, the male professionals still dominate the field. Statistics show that there are at least times more men in the project management field than women (Maxwell, 2007). In 2008, the membership satisfaction study indicated that the members were 70 percent male and only 30 percent were female (Maxwell, 2007). By and large, this disparity can be attributed to the fact that most women lack the practical skills and expertise required in the project management field, therefore are less in number (Henderson & Stackman, 2010). Furthermore, women working in the field face some form of discrimination from their superiors and team (Burba, 2010). In this regard, it is important to identify the essential skills that female project managers should possess to excel in the field. It is also important to identify and understand why female project managers are subjected to discrimination and undermining of their authority by their team members.
One of the most significant trends in the labor force is the persistent rise in the number of women in the rise over the past few decades. As such, the past few years has seen a significant increase in the number of women professionals in different fields and industries across the world. Notably, the number of women in top positions has substantially increased in private, government and public sector organizations (Henderson, Stackman & Koh, 2008). The hope has been that the increase in the number of women professionals would increase both vertically and horizontally. However, the vertical rise has been significantly strained as the number of women in top management positions is still significantly low. In the project management field, the worrying statistic also applies. As such, women in the project management field are not breaking into the higher ranking positions such as the project manager position. In a 2008 study by US-based project management professionals, only 32 percent are women. In turn, this supports the view that the project management field remains dominated by men. Therefore, this is a significant problem that needs to be addressed. In this regard, this study seeks to establish the reasons behind why the field remains male-dominated in a world that is changing and women professionals are thriving with qualifications and experiences that are just as good as that of their male counterparts.
The main goal of this study is to find out the reason why there are very few women in top management positions in the project management field despite the fact they are just as qualified as their male counterparts.
As the field of project management continues to grow into one of the most important industries globally, there is a need to establish equality in the opportunities available for both men and women professionals in the field. Yet, until now, the relative number of women and men in the field is very low. What is more, the number of women in the top level positions in the field is even more worrying (Crawford, Loyd-Walker, & French, 2015). Furthermore, there is strong evidence that women working in the field are paid less than their male colleagues. As work is increasingly project-based, the persistent under-representation, exploitation and discrimination of women in the field are indicative of the occupational segregation that exists in this section of the labor market (Crawford et al., 2015). Therefore, this study will help to identify the reasons behind these problems and help create a strategic solution for the problem.
It is worth pointing out that the objectives of the study will bring various reasonable solutions to help resolve and address the problem that exist in the industry. Particularly, it will help to understand the reasons behind the low number of women in top positions in the project management field and therefore help in creating solutions that will help improve the penetration of women in the project management field. Additionally, it will help identify and examine the barriers that block women from getting the top management positions in the project management field. Consequently, this will provide a basis for removing the barriers to encourage the participation of women in the management of projects. Most importantly, it will help to develop strategies to increase the number of women in the project management field.
Fundamentally, the expected outcome and results from the study will be used by various stakeholders in the labor market to improve the market conditions in the field of project management. Particularly, the findings of this study will go a long way in advising policy makers in the labor market to initiate reforms in the project management field to help improve the chances of women joining its labor force. It will also help in creating an environment that offers opportunities to women to access the top level positions in the field. Also, it will help to remove the barriers that exist in the field that constrain the achievements of women in project-based professions.
H1: There is no reason behind the low number of women in top positions.
H2: There are significant reasons behind the low number of women in top positions.
Dependent Variables
Women in top management positions in the project management field
Independent variable
Skills and experience of women professionals
In 2008, Henderson, Stackman & Koh conducted a study on women project managers. In this study they explore the job of women project managers and find out the various challenges that these professionals face while working in the top level positions in the field. According to the study, women at the top face more challenges than their male counterparts. Mainly, this attributed to the fact that women are still subjected to marginalization from second generation gender bias. However, the study also highlights how these women have learnt to leverage the challenges and issue selling circumstances to their advantage and surpass the gender bias that exists in their industry.
Likewise, Gale and Cartwright (1995) highlight the significant under-representation of women in management, and especially project management. In this study, Gale and Cartwright (1995) describe the issue of women in the project management field as a special case and seek to determine the reasons behind the significantly low number of women in the project management industry. Thus the study forms a basis and provides very useful information that informs this study about the influence of organizational cultures that traditionally characterize the industry sector as male dominated.
In the same way, Henderson and Stackman (2010) conducted a study to examine and explore the role of gender in the field of project management field. As such, they explore whether or not gender differences in project managers are linked to the gender differences of their team members. The study further highlights the fact that despite the fact women are being assigned more roles in project management, the field is still regarded as being male-dominated. The study also reports that there are unexpected differences between gender and team members ages and functional specialization.
To assess the current issues affecting the experience of women in management, which includes the economic situation, the performance of women in the workplace, experience and knowledge gained
This study will use a qualitative research design to collect data and analyze the information obtained to make conclusions about the research findings. A qualitative study is more applicable in this case because the data to be collected is mainly qualitative in terms of the experiences and views of women in the project management field. To conduct this study, the researcher will first have to identify the sources of data from manufacturing and production industries, association reports, and other reports that are publicly available.
This report shall utilize both primary and secondary sources of data. The secondary data will be collected from the various industries that utilize project management services such as manufacturing, production and construction. In addition, further research will be conducted to obtain more data from internet based research papers.
In order to support the findings from secondary data, this study will also conduct interviews with employees from project management firms. The respondents will mainly comprise of women in order to get their views on the existing gender inequalities in the field. Additionally, the research will issue questionnaires to sampled respondents in order to obtain more information about the challenges faced by women in project management. Therefore, by combining the data collected from the various data sources, strategies for future workplace for women working in the project management field will be discussed.
As noted earlier, the study will also utilize primary data collection methods such as interviewing and questionnaires. In this case, a sample is required. Therefore, the study will conduct sampling using the random sampling technique. Thus, all women in top management positions in the project management field across the country have an equal chance of being chosen to take part in the study as respondents. The study intends to utilize a sample size of 100 respondents, comprising of 50 women in top management positions, 20 male in the same position, 20 women in the industry but not in management and 10 men working in the industry and not in the management position. All respondents will be selected randomly and requested to partake in the study by answering the questionnaire and interview questions.
After the data has been collected, primary data will be transcribed, coded and then analyzed to make inferences about the findings of the study. In this case, the information collected in the questionnaires and interviews will be recorded and transcribed in order to create meaning from them. Given that the data is mainly qualitative, a Qualitative Analysis tool such as ANOVA will be used to analyze and interpret the results of the study. On the other hand, qualitative data from employee databases will also be analyzed and recorded for interpretation using a multiple regression analysis. Afterwards, the results and findings from the study will be presented with the help of bar graphs. In this case, the findings of the study can be used to make conclusions about the inclusion of women in the project management industry in top management positions.
Further research should be conducted to examine the gender gap differences and its effects on the contextual factors like the management of contemporary projects. Negative attitudes and perceptions have been associated with the abilities of women since they first entered the workforce(Porterfield & Kleiner, 2005). In various occasion it is seen that the leadership qualities exhibited by female employees could be viewed insufficient in the workplace to manage the project roles. In order to overcome the hurdles of management, organizations must develop and support strategies that could encourage women to develop leadership skills.
The study will follow a specific sequence from the beginning to its completion. The first step is to develop the project proposal and then develop the conceptual framework and the methodology of the study. Once all the required data has been collected, a data analysis will be conducted. Afterwards, a discussion of the findings will be done to discuss the findings of the study. After the discussion section, there will be a conclusion that summarizes the entire study. Lastly, a recommendation section will be provided at the end of the document to provide recommendations for future studies.
As a whole, the research will cost the researcher approximately $4700 to cater for costs associated with obtaining resources for literature reviews, printing and distribution of questionnaires, interview expenses, and data analysis (Refer to Appendix 1). The project is also expected to take a period of 12 weeks from begin to conclusion.
Conclusion
All factors taken into consideration, the role of women in top management positions in the field of project management is still limited. Women have great potential and qualifications and can work just as their male counterparts. However, pre-existing gender bias and challenges have limited the opportunities available to women in this field. Therefore, this study seeks to determine these barriers and provide a solution to the problem in a manner that the participation and inclusion of women in the top management positions will be increased.
References
Burba, D. (2010). Equal ground? PM Network, 24(9), 38-42.
Crawford, L., Lloyd-Walker, B., & French, E. (2015). Career Choice and the Experience of Project-Based Work. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 194(2), 55–64.
Gale, A., & Cartwright, S. (1995). Women in project management: entry into a male domain?: a discussion on gender and organizational culture – part 1. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 16(2), 3–8.
Henderson, L. S., Stackman, R., & Koh, C. Y. (2008). Women project managers: the exploration of their job challenges and issue selling behaviors. International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, 6(4), 761-791.
Henderson, L. S., & Stackman, R. (2010). An exploratory study of gender in project management: interrelationships with role, location, technology, and project cost. Project Management Journal, 41(5), 37–55.
Maxwell, W. (2007). Success strategies for the female project leader. North America, Atlanta, GA: Project Management Institute.
Neuhauser, C. (2007). Project manager leadership behaviors and frequency of use by female project managers. Newtown Square, Pennsylvania: Project Management Institute.
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