Gender Differences in Perception of Gender Inequity in Human Resource Management Practices

Drawing from social role theory, we studied gender differences in employees' perception of gender inequity in human resource management (HRM) practices using samples from three countries. We examined the relationship of employee gender with equity perceptions, as moderated by (a) the gender composition of managers in an organization and (b) country-level gender egalitarianism. We expected females to perceive more inequality in HRM practices compared to males but instead found that females perceived less inequity. In organizations with predominantly female managers, females perceived less gender inequity in HRM practices than males, whereas in male-majority manager organizations, both genders perceived similar levels of gender inequity. Our results also indicated that, in less (more) gender-egalitarian countries, female employees perceived more (less) gender inequity in HRM practices. However, male employees perceived similar levels of gender inequity, slightly favoring men, regardless of country-level gender egalitarianism.