Multinational enterprises’ contribution to gender equality: An integrative framework

Despite the progress made in recent years, inequalities between men and women persist. Gender equality (GE) is one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG5) that multinational enterprises (MNEs) can contribute most to. This is because SDG5 integrates directly into MNEs’ human resource practices, supply chain management and corporate social responsibility initiatives, making it more actionable for MNEs. Despite their potential contribution, knowledge about how MNEs can impact SDG5 remains fragmented, inconsistent and scattered across disciplines such as management, economics and gender studies. Therefore, a comprehensive analysis of the literature is urgently needed. We address this gap through a systematic literature review relying on a taxonomy of the mechanisms through which MNEs can impact SDG5: human resource management strategy, partnership, philanthropy, advocacy, and indirect mechanisms. Drawing on the findings from 158 empirical articles, we developed an integrative framework to help understand the potential contribution MNEs can make towards GE. The framework underscores the need to simultaneously consider contextual factors at multiple levels (individual, organizational, meso and macro) to discover why intended GE policies may fail to achieve their desired outcomes. Furthermore, in order to truly contribute to SDG5, MNEs must not only engage with the various mechanisms they can activate to promote GE but should also remain aware of the indirect mechanisms triggered by their investments and business activities, which may produce either positive or negative effects for women in the countries where they operate.