Gender Disparity in Leadership and Decision-Making Positions through Workplace Context in Bhutan

Abstract

Abstract

Women around the world are disproportionately underrepresented in leadership positions and in positions where decisions are made. In Bhutan, gender inequality and discrimination are often taken for granted with a commonly held belief that gender inequality is not as bad compared to other South Asian countries. Despite the transition to democracy in 2008, women’s participation in public life is extremely low. In this context, this thesis presents varying challenges Bhutanese women face in leadership and decision-making positions, and in public life participation. This is demonstrated by theorising women’s positionalities that are the various outcomes of their intersectional processual social locations by employing Anthias’ (2008, 2002, 2012) translocational positionality (TLP) theory simultaneously de-essentialising the concept of identity. For this, thematic analysis was applied to semi-structured interviews conducted with six Bhutanese working women in positions of relative authority. Through the analysis of data, the themes generated indicated that despite the increasing number of women occupying positions of power, they face challenges for exercising authority and meaningful participation. The challenges are interpreted through workplace interactions and experiences determined by their TLP, their situatedness in the work-home continuum, and gender oblivion. This thesis has also attempted to disrupt the dominant representation of minority Lhotsampa women’s passivity. The thesis, therefore, argues for the significance of consideration of women’s intersectional positions or social locations and their varying outcomes or positionalities as necessary for analysing women’s poor representation and participation in public life or women’s issues in general.

Keywords: Bhutanese working women, leadership, positionality, intersectionality, translocational positionality (TLP), work-home dilemma, gender oblivion.

Abstract

Women around the world are disproportionately underrepresented in leadership positions and in positions where decisions are made. In Bhutan, gender inequality and discrimination are often taken for granted with a commonly held belief that gender inequality is not as bad compared to other South Asian countries. Despite the transition to democracy in 2008, women’s participation in public life is extremely low. In this context, this thesis presents varying challenges Bhutanese women face in leadership and decision-making positions, and in public life participation. This is demonstrated by theorising women’s positionalities that are the various outcomes of their intersectional processual social locations by employing Anthias’ (2008, 2002, 2012) translocational positionality (TLP) theory simultaneously de-essentialising the concept of identity. For this, thematic analysis was applied to semi-structured interviews conducted with six Bhutanese working women in positions of relative authority. Through the analysis of data, the themes generated indicated that despite the increasing number of women occupying positions of power, they face challenges for exercising authority and meaningful participation. The challenges are interpreted through workplace interactions and experiences determined by their TLP, their situatedness in the work-home continuum, and gender oblivion. This thesis has also attempted to disrupt the dominant representation of minority Lhotsampa women’s passivity. The thesis, therefore, argues for the significance of consideration of women’s intersectional positions or social locations and their varying outcomes or positionalities as necessary for analysing women’s poor representation and participation in public life or women’s issues in general.

Keywords: Bhutanese working women, leadership, positionality, intersectionality, translocational positionality (TLP), work-home dilemma, gender oblivion.