Title: The rise of women to leading positions in manufacturing SMEs from 1990 to 2005

Authors: Pierre-Andre Julien, Martin Morin, Louise Cadieux

Addresses: Research Institute on SMEs, Universite du Quebec a Trois-Rivieres, INRPME, P.O. Box 500, Trois-Rivieres, Quebec G9A 5H7, Canada. ' Research Institute on SMEs, Universite du Quebec a Trois-Rivieres, INRPME, P.O. Box 500, Trois-Rivieres, Quebec G9A 5H7, Canada. ' Research Institute on SMEs, Universite du Quebec a Trois-Rivieres, INRPME, P.O. Box 500, Trois-Rivieres, Quebec G9A 5H7, Canada

Abstract: The massive arrival of women in the labour market, combined with their more recent arrival in the university sector, should have given them access to senior executive positions in industry. The results of our research reveal that, in Quebec, Canada, although women have been able to move into management positions in SME|s, between 1990 and 2005, much still remains to be done to achieve equality in the areas of production and senior management. However, our research also provides some grounds for optimism, since younger and newer firms are in fact tending to hire women to fill their senior management positions.

Keywords: women executives; gender equity; discrimination; small and medium-sized enterprises; manufacturing SMEs; women work trends; male–female equality; female executives; equality; production management; senior management.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBG.2008.017679

International Journal of Business and Globalisation, 2008 Vol.2 No.3, pp.244 - 264

Published online: 26 Mar 2008 *

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