Gender and Sex Diversity in Sport Organizations: Concluding Comments

This article utilizes the work found within the special issue to note that sport as an institution still serves to produce, reinforce, and perpetuate male hegemony. However, it additionally argues that the collective works point to progress in some areas of sport. It highlights the ideas for future research regarding sex and gender diversity in sport and notes that these concerns are often situated in multi-level, sometimes subtle, and usually taken-for-granted structures, policies, and behaviors embedded in sport organizations. It concludes with a call for continued work in this area.     

Organizational career growth and subsequent voice behavior: The role of affective commitment and gender

Although research has established a connection between career growth and turnover intentions, there continues to be a need to study how employee career growth contributes positively to organizations. In the present research, we studied in particular how employees' organizational career growth is related to voice behavior. Employing theories of social exchange, organization-based self-esteem, and psychological attachment, we developed six hypotheses pertinent to this relationship, including the mediating role of affective organizational commitment and the moderating effect of gender. We tested our hypotheses using data from 328 employees in Mainland China over three time periods. As we hypothesized, we found positive relationships between the three dimensions of organizational career growth and subsequent voice behavior. Our results also verified that these relationships are partially mediated by affective organizational commitment and partially moderated by gender.     

Perspectives of Women College Athletes on Sport and Gender

Although sport access for females has greatly improved, certain behaviors continue to be considered more or less appropriate for females depending upon how compatible they are with biologically or socially constructed female characteristics. However, young women who have grown up playing sports and continue participation at the college level have constructed meanings about being a young woman and an athlete. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed to investigate how seven gymnasts and seven softball players competing in NCAA Division I athletics view and contend with a “female/athlete paradox.” These women recognized preferred femininity and at times constructed images based on this notion. However, they also embraced their athleticism and felt at ease choosing not to perform femininity in some contexts.     

The Relationship between Social Dominance Orientation and Gender: The Mediating Role of Social Values

Invariance hypothesis posits that, across cultures and contexts, men are higher in SDO than women. Social Dominance Theory (SDT) suggests that this difference is biologically determined and resulting from the differences in reproductive strategies between sexes. In this study we tested the hypothesis that values can explain gender–SDO differences. SDT suggests that SDO mediates gender differences in values. The contrasting hypothesis suggests that gender–SDO differences are mediated by values. Using SEM with a sample of Italian University students (N = 162, 80 men), the results provided strong support for the hypothesis of a mediation effect of values. Indeed, when controlling for values, gender difference in SDO disappear. Very similar findings were obtained for both GBD and OEQ. Results are discussed.     

Gender Differences in Preferences for Singles Ads that Proclaim Extrinsic Versus Intrinsic Values

Two studies (Ns = 1,113 and 98) examined University men and womens’ differing preferences for singles ads as a function of the values declared by ad-writers, using Kasser and colleagues’ distinction between extrinsic values (financial success, status/fame, and image/attractiveness) and intrinsic values (emotional intimacy, community contribution, and personal growth). In general, participants preferred writers espousing intrinsic values. Women, compared to men, especially preferred partners espousing intrinsic values. They also expressed less interest in partners espousing extrinsic values, with one exception: compared to men, they were more interested in partners espousing financial success values. Implications for debates regarding the evolved versus sociological origins of gender differences are discussed, as well as implications for theories of attraction based on the matching hypothesis.     

Going for Gold: Understanding Talent Development Through the Lived Experiences of US Female Olympians

Using qualitative methods design, this research examined the talent development process of US female Olympians. In addition, models of talent development in gifted women in other domains assisted in understanding the development of talent in elite female athletes. Interpretation of the experiences of the participants indicated that the models of talent development for gifted women contribute to an understanding of female athletic talent development. Yet, models presented in both sport and other professional domains do not capture all aspects of talent development as lived by the participants in this project. Within current models of talent development for athletes there is no discussion regarding what occurs after an athlete reaches the elite level of participation. A more fully integrated model of talent development must also include the contributions of athletic talent development toward development as fully actualized human beings. The participants in this research acknowledged significant development that occurred following their elite level of participation.     

Examination of Gender Differences in Modeling OCBs and Their Antecedents in Business Organizations in Taiwan

This research presents a model of organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) mediated by social network ties using gender as a moderator. In the proposed model, OCBs are influenced indirectly by the need for power-prestige, outcome interdependence, and person-organization fit through the mediation of instrumental ties and expressive ties, which are considered social network ties. Gender moderates several paths in the model. The moderating effects of gender are simultaneously examined using data collected in Taiwan. Test results show that the influence of the need for power-prestige on expressive ties is stronger for women than for men, and the influence of the need for power-prestige on instrumental ties is stronger for men than for women. Moreover, the influence of outcome interdependence on instrumental ties is stronger for men than for women. Finally, detailed findings and their implications are discussed.     

Organizational supports and organizational deviance: The mediating role of organization-based self-esteem

Drawing upon belongingness theory, we tested organization-based self-esteem (OBSE) as a mediator of the relation between organizational supports and organizational deviance. Data from 237 employees were collected at three points in time over one year. Using structural equation modeling, we found that OBSE fully mediated the relation between organizational supports and organizational deviance. Controlling for preexisting predictors of deviance, including personality traits (agreeableness, neuroticism and conscientiousness) and role stressors (role conflict, ambiguity, and overload), did not eliminate the relation between OBSE and organizational deviance. The implications for the OBSE and deviance literatures are discussed.     

A subculture of mental toughness in an Australian Football League club

ObjectiveThe current study aimed to provide a subcultural analysis of mental toughness in a high-performance context in sport.DesignUsing Schein's (1990) framework of organisational culture, an exploratory qualitative analysis, employing focus group and individual interviews, was used to investigate mental toughness in an Australian Football League club.MethodNine senior coaches and players participated in focus group and individual interviews. Photo elicitation was used as a method to capture mental toughness through the identification of prominent club artefacts. Participants were considered to have significant subcultural knowledge of their football club and were willing to describe personal experiences and perceptions of mental toughness through this cultural lens. Deductive and inductive analyses were conducted to capture the core themes of mental toughness across the disparate levels of Schein's organisational framework.ResultsMental toughness was found to be a socially derived term marked by unrelenting standards and sacrificial displays. These acts were underpinned by subcultural values emphasising a desire for constant improvement, a team first ethos, relentless effort, and the maintenance of an infallible image. At its core, mental toughness was assumed to be an internal concept, epitomised an idealised form of masculinity, elitist values, and was rhetorically depicted through metaphors of war.ConclusionsIt may be difficult to understand mental toughness without giving attention to the contextual norms related to the term. Appreciating how people promote, instil, and internalise prized ideals coveted as mental toughness could be intriguing for future research in sport psychology.     

Beliefs About Gender Discrimination in the Workplace in the Context of Affirmative Action: Effects of Gender and Ambivalent Attitudes in an Australian Sample

This study investigated beliefs about gender discrimination in opportunities for promotion in organisations and their relation to gender and gender-focused ambivalent beliefs as measured, respectively, by the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory (ASI) and the Ambivalence toward Men Inventory (AMI) (Glick and Fiske, Ambivalent sexism. In M.P. Zanna (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology, 33: pp. 115-188, San Diego, CA: Academic, 2001a). These two inventories were administered to 225 students at Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia along with discrimination items concerning advantage, responsibility, guilt, and resentment about the advancement of men and women in the workplace. Results showed gender differences in discrimination beliefs and in the hostile and benevolent scales from the ASI and AMI. Gender differences and relations between these scales and the discrimination variables were interpreted in terms of system-justification, self and group interests, and the effects of values and beliefs about deservingness and entitlement. This study was supported by a grant from the Australian Research Council.     

The Prevention Delivery System: Organizational Context and Use of Comprehensive Programming Frameworks

The purpose of this exploratory study is to investigate organizational‐level mechanisms in the Prevention Delivery System (PDS) and their influence on implementing comprehensive programming frameworks (e.g., Communities that Care‐CtC) as the innovation. The PDS is part of the Interactive Systems Framework for Dissemination and Implementation (ISF) and describes key characteristics of innovation implementation and dissemination. The study addresses two research questions: (1) What types of organizational characteristics are related to successful use of each of the programming processes (i.e., planning, implementation, evaluation, and sustainability) that are part of comprehensive programming frameworks?; and (2) What are the similarities and differences in the organizational patterns correlated with use of each of the programming processes? Surveys, interview data, and other documents designed to assess organizational characteristics and extent of use of a comprehensive programming framework over time, were collected from 8 Community boards and 23 provider agencies. These organizations were responsible for planning and delivering substance abuse prevention services as part of a statewide initiative in Ohio. Data were analyzed using Spearman rho (and rank‐biserial) correlations, with an emphasis on effect sizes. Results indicated that leadership, shared vision, process advocates, and technical assistance were common correlates of use across programming processes. However, the role played by these organizational variables differed for each programming process, pointing to complex interactions of the organizational infrastructure with other variables (i.e., characteristics of the innovation itself and external macro‐level factors). This exploratory study provides preliminary data on the organizational‐level mechanisms of the PDS and the complexity of their relationships with the other Systems in the Interactive Systems Framework.     

The Influence of Participation, Gender and Organizational Sense of Community on Psychological Empowerment: The Moderating Effects of Income

This study explored the influence of participation, gender and organizational sense of community (SOC) on both the intrapersonal and interactional components of psychological empowerment (PE). Participants were residents (n = 562) involved in community organizing efforts in five U.S. communities. Measures of participation and SOC were tailored to community organization contexts. SOC assessed three dimensions: (1) connection of members to the organization; (2) perceptions about the organization as a bridge to other groups and organizations in the broader community; and (3) bond or attachment to the community at large. Income (low, middle and high-income) was tested as a moderator of these relationships. Results showed significant moderating effects of income on the relationship between participation, gender and SOC on both components of PE. Participation was positively related with intrapersonal empowerment across income levels, but positively related with interactional empowerment only for low-income individuals. Gender was only associated with intrapersonal empowerment, and only for low-income individuals. SOC, as expressed through bridging to the broader community, was positively related with interactional PE for all income levels, but with intrapersonal PE for only low and middle-income individuals. In contrast, member connection to the organization was not related to interactional empowerment and significantly related to intrapersonal empowerment only for individuals with higher income. The importance of participation, gender and SOC for different types of empowerment and the impact of income on the SOC-empowerment relationship are discussed.     

Gender/ed identities: an overview of our current work as child psychotherapists in the Gender Identity Development Service

Abstract

This paper is adapted from a presentation first given at the 2017 Association of Child Psychotherapists (ACP) Conference. We hope to give a feel of our work as psychoanalytic child psychotherapists working in a Tier 4 national assessment service for gender variant children and connect with our colleagues working therapeutically with these families in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and other settings. Gender variance does not have a single cause, or straightforward developmental pathway; rather it is a complex interplay of multiple factors, akin to sexuality in the diverse manifestations and ‘tributaries’ taken. This paper is given as a plea for complexity, to counter the current intense focus on gender identity and the consequent reductionism this can lead to. To this end, three case studies from the clinic, taken from Under Five, Latency and Adolescent phases of development, are explored. The complexity of the cases is then discussed, followed by parallel issues of development, divergence and difference. These three ‘average’ cases from the Gender Identity Development Services (GIDS) serve to demonstrate the need for child psychotherapy as part of multi-disciplinary thinking about gender variance and how attention must be maintained to each unique story and process of identity development; as well as our clinical task to establish and encourage depressive functioning and secondary processes where possible.     

Gender differences in the determinants of the willingness to accept an international assignment

Multinational organisations experience difficulties in finding managers willing to accept international assignments. This study has therefore focused on factors that can predict males' and females' willingness to accept international assignments, or to follow their partners on international assignments. Hypotheses were formulated based on the Rational Choice/Human Capital Theory, the Family Power Theory, the Life Role Salience Theory, and the Psychological Contract Theory. Data were collected using a written questionnaire from 178 male and 122 female employees of a large Anglo-Dutch company. Results using regression analyses showed that male candidates were more willing to accept an overseas assignment and more willing to follow their partners than female ones. Further, the rational choice and family power theories were best able to explain male candidates' willingness, whereas females' willingness was better predicted using variables from the life role salience and psychological contract theories. However, in terms of willingness to follow their partner, all the sets of variables are significant predictors for men, whereas, for women, only rational choice and family power variables explain a significant amount of the variance. The results are discussed in terms of theory and organisational practice.     

Looking Forward: The Potential of Creativity for Social Justice and Equity (and Other Exciting Outcomes)

This brief essay argues for the importance for more work on how creativity predicts positive outcomes, with a particular emphasis on expanding our definitions of these positive outcomes. The way that creativity may lead to increased equity and social justice is used as an example of these type of potential research questions.     

Gender Schemas: A Cognitive Explanation of Discrimination of Women in Technology

Despite the need for qualified personnel in the field of information technology (IT), women are under represented. Recruiting has been difficult and those women entering the profession often leave. Gender schema theory adds to the explanation of behaviors and attitudes in the workplace that may adversely impact women in technology. We surveyed members of Systers, an online forum for women in technology, to examine gender schemas of IT women to see if there is a significant difference between them and the general public. Our findings suggest that there is a significant difference in the gender-schemas of women in technology and the gender-schemas of the general population. A subsequent sample of male IT students and men in the general public also indicated a significant difference in gender schemas of these two groups. Implications of these differences and future research in this area are discussed.     

Perceptions of Organizational Politics: A Meta-analysis of Outcomes

Organizational researchers during the past few decades have increasingly focused on the role of subjective work issues and their impact on important worker-related outcomes. One of the most prominently studied factors, perceptions of organizational politics, has received much recent conceptual and empirical attention. In an effort to better understand the relationship between perceptions of organizational politics and key outcomes, we apply meta-analysis on 79 independent samples from 59 published and unpublished studies involving 25,059 individual participants. Results indicate strong negative relationships between POP and job satisfaction and between POP and organizational commitment, moderately positive relationships between POP and the outcomes of job stress and turnover intentions, and a non-significant relationship between POP and in-role job performance. Moderator tests show that age, work setting (i.e., public sector or private sector), and cultural differences (i.e., domestic sample or international sample), have contingent effects on certain POP relationships.     

卫生服务公平性--政府职能与作用研究

我国的卫生服务面临许多问题,包括区域规划不合理、资源严重不足但又存在浪费等,突出的是公平性问题.要解决这些问题不能只依靠市场机制,必须发挥政府的职能与作用,通过立法、加强监督管理、增加投入、卫生规划等手段发展医疗卫生事业,逐步实现卫生服务的公平性.     

Stepparents and Parenting Stress: The Roles of Gender,Marital Quality,and Views about Gender Roles

Previous research suggests that stepparenting can be stressful, although the mechanisms that contribute to the experience of parenting stress in stepfamilies are less clear. This study examines gender, marital quality, and views about gendered family roles as correlates of parenting stress among 310 stepmothers, stepfathers, and biological mothers and fathers. Findings suggest that stepparents, and especially stepmothers, experience higher levels of parenting stress than biological parents. Findings also suggest that less traditional views about gendered family roles and higher dyadic adjustment are associated with lower parenting stress for stepparents, particularly in combination. Stepparents reporting both of these protective factors were indistinguishable in terms of parenting stress from biological parents. These findings indicate potential pathways to mitigate the stress associated with stepparenting.