Management Accounting Section Midyear Meeting

“Office Glamour Work vs. Office Housework”: Gender Differences in Participation in and Subjective Evaluation of Non-Core Job Responsibilities

• In Event: Gender Diversity

Abstract

While the proportion of women at entry level of organizations has grown, women remain underrepresented in managerial and executive positions. While many attribute this to the “the glass ceiling”, the point on the career ladder beyond which women are not promoted, we argue that one important factor influencing unequal career progression is early career task allocation and evaluation, and in particular the unequal participation in and reward for tasks that can be classified as office glamour work and office housework. While both office glamour work and housework are important for the success and culture of a company, on an individual level, they differently impact performance evaluation, career progression, and compensation. We examine gender differences in who tends to perform these different types of tasks, and how taking on these tasks is evaluated. Using our unique access to a financial services firm, we find that women are less likely to participate in glamour work projects, and more likely to take on office housework projects. While glamour work positively affects performance evaluation outcomes for both men and women, only men are rewarded for office housework. Overall, our findings suggest that unequal task allocation and evaluation contribute to explaining lower promotion rates of woman across the hierarchy.

Authors

• Jasmijn Bol, Tulane University

• Hila Fogel-Yaari, University of Texas-Arlington

• Isabella Grabner, WU Vienna University

• Karen L. Sedatole, Emory University