Date of Conferral

2023

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Management

Advisor

Stephanie Hoon

Abstract

Women in the automotive industry often struggle to advance into top leadership positions. More specifically, culture and gender inequality affect senior-level and higher women leaders trying to achieve a position in the C-Suite in automotive manufacturing organizations. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of senior-level and higher women seeking a C-Suite position. The research questions addressed the lived experiences of women who strive to be promoted to C-Suites positions. Three sub-questions were used to evaluate participants' perceptions, leveraging them to increase awareness of the cultural and gender inequality affecting the representation of women in C-Suites. Semi-structured interviews were used with a sample of 15 women participants from Michigan’s automotive industry using audio recording and verbatim transcription of the interviews. Through a conceptual lens, the gender gap in inequality was examined using Blumberg’s theory of gender stratification and grounded on Geist and Myer’s concepts of gender inequality, aided in revealing three emergent themes. The findings of this study confirmed that cultural and gender inequality challenges influence women getting C-suites positions in the automotive industry. The finding shows practical implications that there is a need to provide equal advancement opportunities to more senior-level and higher women leaders, regardless of their culture and gender. This study promotes positive social change by educating the automotive industry about the challenges and the needs of women in the automotive industry aiding in decreasing cultural and gender inequality so more women can reach their career goals.

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