In the company of women: The well-being consequences of working with (and for)other women

Abstract

This chapter explores how women’s well-being in organizational contexts is enhanced – but also diminished – by other women. On the one hand, the relational demography literature, particularly research based on social categorization and social identity theories, suggests that women will be attracted to other women and are likely to advocate on their behalf. On the other hand, the literature on mentoring and leadership provides evidence that women can be disadvantaged by female mentors and supervisors. Further, research based on status characteristics theory suggests that the mere presence of other women may devalue occupations and organizational roles, yet the number of female top managers appears to positively affect subsequent female representation in middle management positions. We review the psychology, sociology and management literatures to produce a better understanding of how social (e.g., societal stereotypes) and structural (e.g., gender composition) factors influence whether the presence of other women has a positive or negative effect on the well-being of working women.