Sex/gender inequity in management learning equals violence towards women

Abstract

With global crises and the rise of misogyny and sexism, progress regarding women’s equality is regressing. In these challenging times, management learning that aims to educate students and professionals on management skills, knowledge, and behaviours, should be deeply concerned with and committed to sex/gender equity; however, sex/gender equity continues to be assaulted in management learning. Exploring the concept of violence, this provocation essay posits that sex/gender inequity in management learning constitutes violence towards women in distinct ways. Violence implies an intense and harmful act and management learning institutions and organisations that do not address sex/gender inequity would be violators, instead of being merely unhelpful. Violence means that change can no longer wait. This essay acknowledges uncertainty and suggests that addressing sex/gender inequity in management learning calls for the sharing of best practices between academia and practice. The essay closes with three core questions that management learning institutions, designers and teachers/facilitators can ask themselves to rewrite their management learning programmes and end this violence towards women.