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Integrating Sustainability and Gender Equity: Emerging Trends in Business Policy, Strategy, and Practice

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Economic and Business Aspects of Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 October 2022) | Viewed by 19534

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Nazim Taskin

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Guest Editor

Management Information Systems Department, Bogazici University, Istanbul, Turkey
Interests: decision making; big data analytics; knowledge management; machine learning; strategic IS/IT alignment; enterprise systems; sustainability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Jane Parker

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

School of Management, Massey University, Auckland 0632, New Zealand
Interests: diversity, inclusion and equity; corporate social responsibility; sustainable development, comparative employment relations and regulation; strategic human resource management

Dr. Aymen Sajjad

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

School of Management, Massey University, Auckland 0632, New Zealand
Interests: sustainability; sustainable development; corporate social responsibility; sustainable supply chain management; green supply chain management; united nations sustainable development goals; sustainability leadership; social sustainability; environmental management; sustainable business strategy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sustainability has become a key business imperative and opportunity for contemporary organizations (Lubin & Esty, 2010). Increasingly, smart companies are integrating sustainability aspects into their business strategy and practice to achieve competitive advantage and improve social legitimacy (Kiron, Kruschwitz, Haanaes, & Velken, 2012). However, the sustainability literature indicates that socio-cultural aspects of sustainability are mostly ignored or neglected by the corporate sector (Colantonio, 2007; Bebbington & Dillard, 2008; Missimer, Robèrt, & Broman, 2017). Yet, understanding the nexus between sustainability and gender equity has never been more important (Koehler, 2016) as these issues are intrinsically linked. According to the United Nations (UN) (2012, 2014a, 2014b ) and UNICEF (2019), achieving gender equity and addressing critical issues including discrimination and gender-based disparities, human rights, dignity, well-being, empowerment, livelihood, and capability of diverse groups of women is a key requirement of a just and sustainable world. Furthermore, gender equality and sustainable industrialization themes permeate the focus targets of the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) 2030 Development agenda, particularly sustainable development goals 5 and 9 (ILO, 2020), and are stressed in a recent global report from the UNHuman Rights Council’s Working group on discrimination against women and girls (UN Human Rights Council, 2020).

Accordingly, the purpose of this Special Issue is to bridge key gaps in the literature by offering scholars the opportunity to examine emerging trends in corporate policy, strategy, and practice pertaining to sustainability and gender equity issues. The Covid-19 outbreak has further underscored the need for organizations to review their resource acquisition and usage in a manner that emphasizes sustainable development and a related regard for equitable and ethical approaches. With women constituting an increasing share of the paid workforce in many advanced economies, and often the majority of informal economy workers, the nexus between organisations’ drive for business sustainability and women’s contributions to this aim and equitable treatment is emphasised. The integration of business sustainability and gender equity also raises key questions about the character and significance of the workplace parties – including employers, employees, unions and the state – in progressing the integration of sustainability and gender equity in the organizational setting.

The Special Issue accepts both empirical and conceptual papers that offer theoretical and practical contributions to the areas of interest. The Special Issue accepts completed research papers using qualitative, quantitative, and mixed research methods. Contributors are encouraged but not confined to focusing on the following areas:

Key themes/topics:

Gender-equitable sustainable development
Sustainability, corporate governance, and gender equity
Nexus between gender equity, sustainable consumption, and the green economy
Social sustainability, health and wellbeing, women’s empowerment and gender equity
COVID-19 pandemic, the United Nations’ sustainable development goals, and gender equity
Technology, sustainable development and gender equity
Public policy initiatives and regulatory frameworks for promoting gender equity and sustainability
Gender equity, environmental sustainability, and climate change
Diversity and equal employment issues in public and private sector organizations
Poverty eradication, human rights issues and gender equity
The role of trade unions and community organizations in promoting gender equity and sustainable industrialization
The role of business, government and society in addressing gender inequity and sustainability challenges

References

Bebbington, J., & Dillard, J. (2008). Social sustainability: An organizational-level analysis. Understanding the social dimension of sustainability (pp. 173–189). London: Routledge.

Colantonio, A. (2007). Social sustainability: An exploratory analysis of its definition, assessment methods metrics and tools. EIBURS Working Paper Series, No. 2007/01.

ILO. (2020). 2030 Development agenda: ILO Focus targets. Retrieved from http://www.oit.org/global/topics/sdg-2030/targets/lang--en/index.htm

Kiron, D., Kruschwitz, N., Haanaes, K., & Velken, I. V. S. (2012). Sustainability nears a tipping point. MIT Sloan Management Review, 53(2), 69-75.

Koehler, G. (2016). Tapping the Sustainable Development Goals for progressive gender equity and equality policy?. Gender & Development, 24(1), 53-68.

Lubin, D. A., & Esty, D. C. (2010). The sustainability imperative. Harvard Business Review, 88(5), 42-50.

Missimer, M., Robèrt, K.-H., & Broman, G. (2017). A strategic approach to social sustainability–Part 2: A principle-based definition. Journal of Cleaner Production, 140, 42–52.

UN Human Rights Council, (2020). Report of the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls. 16 April. Retrieved from https://undocs.org/A/HRC/44/51?utm_source=Unknown+List&utm_campaign=10250d60a3-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_07_06_11_27&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-10250d60a3-&utm_source=Unknown+List&utm_campaign=10250d60a3-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_07_06_11_27&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-10250d60a3-&utm_source=Unknown+List&utm_campaign=10250d60a3-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_07_06_11_27&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-10250d60a3-

UN. (2012). Powerful synergies Gender Equality, Economic Development and Environmental Sustainability. Retrieved from http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/gender/Gender%20and%20Environment/Powerful-Synergies.pdf

UN. (2014a). World Survey on the role of women in development 2014: Gender Equality and Sustainable Development. A report signed by the Secretary General and Executive Director, UN Women. Retrieved from https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2014/10/world-survey-2014

UN. (2014b). Human Development Report 2014Sustaining Human Progress: Reducing Vulnerabilities and Building Resilience. Retrieved from http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/hdr14-report-en-1.pdf

UNICEF. (2019). Gender Equality Global Annual Results Report 2019. Retrieved from https://www.unicef.org/media/73826/file/Global-annual-results-report-2019-gender-equality-accessible.pdf

Dr. Nazim Taskin
Prof. Jane Parker
Dr. Aymen Sajjad
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Sustainability
gender equity
organizations
formal economy
informal economy
business strategy and practice

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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25 pages, 565 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Capital Factors Influencing Rural, Regional and Remote Women’s Entrepreneurship Development: An Australian Perspective

by Tarryn Kille, Retha Wiesner, Seung-Yong Lee, Melissa Johnson Morgan, Jane Summers and Daniel Davoodian

Sustainability 2022, 14(24), 16442; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142416442 - 8 Dec 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2329

Abstract

Insight into the challenges for women entrepreneurship engagement is significantly lacking in the context of Rural, Regional and Remote (RRR) communities. Evidence suggests that a deeper understanding of the role of capital in entrepreneurship engagement for RRR women may shed light on some of the complex issues in this sphere. This paper investigates the impact of economic, social, and cultural capital on RRR women’s entrepreneurship activities. The study surveyed 188 women entrepreneurs located in RRR locations in Queensland, Australia and confirmed the importance of economic, social, and cultural capital, in facilitating and enabling RRR women to engage in entrepreneurial activities. The results further highlighted that regardless of the volume of objectified and institutionalised cultural capital accumulated by these women, accumulation of social capital remained a strong driver for engagement preferences and success indicators. We suggest that this is due to the deeply entrenched values and behaviours relating to the critical formation and maintenance of networks as a survival mechanism when living in RRR locations in Australia. The results of this study provide a deeper understanding of the entrepreneurial practices, circumstances and attitudes of RRR women. Further, the novel application of Bourdieu’s theory of capital in this quantitative study exploring the role of capital factors for RRR women provides a platform for engaging discourse amongst entrepreneurial researchers. The findings will aid governments and policy makers in the development of programs designed to stimulate entrepreneurial engagement for women in rural, regional and remote contexts. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrating Sustainability and Gender Equity: Emerging Trends in Business Policy, Strategy, and Practice)

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18 pages, 964 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Women on the Front Line: The Growth of SMEs during Crises

by Diego A. B. Marconatto, Gaspar A. Peixoto, Emidio G. Teixeira and Adelar Fochezatto

Sustainability 2022, 14(16), 10120; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141610120 - 15 Aug 2022

Viewed by 1728

Abstract

We investigate the relationship between women’s participation and the growth of 10,445 Brazilian SMEs operating in a widespread economic crisis. Our study is motivated by the disproportional unemployment scores observed among women during the COVID19 pandemic. We used stepwise regression and conditional process analysis to test all our hypotheses. We found that an increase of women employees in the total workforce of SMEs boosts their growth. This indicates that the disproportional spikes in women’s unemployment observed during recessions are not only unjust but also harmful to SMEs striving to weather crises. We also identified that these firms grow further by increasing women employees’ wages and job tenure, by preferring more women with higher levels of education and longer job tenure, or retaining more educated women who are better paid at the same time. Our findings rebuke the rationale behind the disproportional layoffs of women workers in times of crisis. They indicate that SMEs should sustain their female workforce to increase chances of weathering widespread economic crises. Our results can help alleviate the predicament experienced by women workers during economic crises, and support policies designed to reduce the persistent gender gap in businesses. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrating Sustainability and Gender Equity: Emerging Trends in Business Policy, Strategy, and Practice)

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17 pages, 669 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Improving Women’s Opportunities to Succeed in the Workplace: Addressing Workplace Policies in Support of Menstrual Health and Hygiene in Two Kenyan Factories

by Whitney Fry, Joan W. Njagi, Frances Houck, Michal Avni and Aditi Krishna

Sustainability 2022, 14(8), 4521; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14084521 - 11 Apr 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4472

Abstract

Women globally experience challenges managing their periods, especially those living in environments that do not support adequate menstrual health and hygiene (MHH). For working women, these challenges may have critical implications for their health, well-being, and economic outcomes (e.g., earnings). As part of a larger initiative that sought to understand the relationship between MHH and women’s economic empowerment, a policy analysis was conducted in two workplaces in Kenya to identify policy changes that would better support menstruating employees’ MHH needs. Policy analysis findings were synthesized with relevant baseline research findings from the same study to generate policy recommendations for participating companies. Key findings revealed limitations in hiring and induction processes, employee classification, representation and voice, toilet access, sick leave, and supervisor codes of conduct, all of which affected menstruating employees. Recommendations included updating supervisor codes of conduct, increasing women’s representation in union committees, and strengthening employee induction processes. Priority areas for policy changes were shared with companies’ leadership, alongside technical assistance for implementation. Insight from two private-sector workplaces in Kenya offers guidance on how to identify relevant policy gaps and institutionalize policies and practices that promote adequate workplace MHH in pursuit of women’s economic empowerment and improved business outcomes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrating Sustainability and Gender Equity: Emerging Trends in Business Policy, Strategy, and Practice)

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14 pages, 622 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Interconnection between Decent Workplace and Firm Financial Performance through the Mediation of Environmental Sustainability: Lessons from an Emerging Economy

by Muhammad Zahid, José Moleiro Martins, Haseeb Ur Rahman, Mário Nuno Mata, Syed Asim Shah and Pedro Neves Mata

Sustainability 2021, 13(8), 4570; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13084570 - 20 Apr 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3149

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the impact of some important Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as the decent workplace, climate change, and economic sustainability on firm financial performance (see Goals 8 and 13). By adopting an index from the previous literature, this study collected data from the annual and sustainability reports of the publicly listed companies of a developing country through content analysis from 2016 to 2018. The results revealed a significant increase in the level of compliance with workplace and environmental sustainability during the corresponding period. Furthermore, the estimations of ordinary least squares (OLS) and two-stage least squares (2SLS) panel data also unveiled a positive impact of workplace sustainability on the firm’s environmental and financial performance. Additionally, we noted that the findings were pronounced after addressing the problem of endogeneity. Moreover, the study also found a novel significant and positive mediating role of environmental sustainability in the relationship between workplace sustainability and the firm’s financial performance. This study has theoretical significance by proposing sustainability training and development as instrumental variables in the relationship of the workplace and environmental sustainability to firm financial performance. This study offers practical implications for regulatory bodies and business firms to integrate workplace and environmental sustainability practices into their routine operations for achieving sustainable industrialization. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrating Sustainability and Gender Equity: Emerging Trends in Business Policy, Strategy, and Practice)

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14 pages, 650 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Incidence of Social Responsibility in the Adoption of Business Practices

by Felipe Arenas-Torres, Miguel Bustamante-Ubilla and Roberto Campos-Troncoso

Sustainability 2021, 13(5), 2794; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13052794 - 5 Mar 2021

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2716

Abstract

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies are evidenced by adopting socially relevant business practices for people, communities, companies, and related institutions. Based on this conception, the present work determines the incidence of ethics and CSR on practices regarding diversity, environment, and community of Chilean companies. The method, applied to a sample of 3179 Chilean companies, was descriptive and correlational. Results demonstrate an incipient level of standardization in the adoption of social responsibility practices. The dimension regarding diversity presented a higher cumulative correlation coefficient, which could lead to a change in CSR practices. It is concluded that the collective impact of the ethics and CSR policies was positive and significant in the adoption of practices related to diversity, environment, and community. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrating Sustainability and Gender Equity: Emerging Trends in Business Policy, Strategy, and Practice)

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Review

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14 pages, 305 KiB

Open AccessReview

The COVID-19 Pandemic: Female Workers’ Social Sustainability in Global Supply Chains

by Aymen Sajjad and Gabriel Eweje

Sustainability 2021, 13(22), 12565; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132212565 - 14 Nov 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3157

Abstract

This review article investigates the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on female workers in the global supply chain context. To this end, we reviewed and critically examined emerging scholarly literature as well as policy documents and reports published by international development organizations concerning female workers’ social sustainability, livelihood, and health and wellbeing issues in global supply chain operations. Thus, this article focuses on female workers’ issues in emerging and developing economies where the ongoing pandemic continues to devastate and create multidimensional social and economic challenges for the wellbeing and social sustainability of female workers. Our analysis suggests that female workers are facing serious socioeconomic challenges that continue to affect their wellbeing, mental health, and livelihoods. Accordingly, it is imperative that international development organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), trade associations, governments, and most importantly the corporate sector not only consider individual responsibility for promoting female workforce social sustainability in global supply chains but also actively collaborate to address pressing social sustainability issues vis à vis female workers. Building on these findings, the implications for future research, practice, and policies are discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrating Sustainability and Gender Equity: Emerging Trends in Business Policy, Strategy, and Practice)

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