PETALING JAYA: Women are, after all, human too. Just like men, they also yield to temptation. As much as they can add value to an organisation, be it in business or the government, they are also vulnerable to unethical practices just like men.
On the positive side, women make as good a manager as men, if not better, according to sociologists theSun spoke to.
A woman’s leadership style is characterised by task orientation, and women managers create a better environment with strong team-oriented culture,” said Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman lecturer Dr Nor Azlili Hassan.
She added that increased women representation in any organisation enhances the advantages of gender diversity, from both the ethical and economic aspects.
She was commenting on a Malaysia Board Diversity Study and Index report conducted by the Institute of Corporate Directors Malaysia, that stated companies where women represent at least a third of the board of directors showed 38% higher returns on equity compared with companies where men occupy all the board seats.
Nor Azlili cited another study of 500 companies around the world where there are more women on the board.
“These companies typically exhibit a higher degree of organisation, have above-average operating margins, leading to high profitability and higher valuations.”
She said women enhance the firm’s worth indirectly through actions that are not captured as financial indicators, such as commitment to ethical and social values.
However, it is gender diversity rather than the qualities that women have that makes a difference.
As Nor Azlili pointed out, gender diversity gives rise to greater innovation and better problem-solving. She said this helps to draw in revenue, leading to higher profitability.
Director of the Centre for Research on Women and Gender Dr Noraida Endut said little has been done in Malaysia to study the tangible impact of having women occupy at least 30% of board seats.
“Nonetheless, in government and social services, (it can be seen that) the returns are more the qualitative result of better wellbeing, protection and intervention for staff and stakeholders rather than higher returns on equity,” she said.
She also pointed out that the underlying objective of a quota for women is not simply to ensure better performance by the organisation but because it is the “logical step in compensating for inequalities”, especially in decision-making positions across all sectors of society.
Noraida, who is also a professor at Universiti Sains Malaysia, said when an organisation supports the principle of gender equality, it creates an environment where everyone, regardless of gender, can thrive in their work and contribute to the organisation.
“Upholding gender equality does not simply mean giving equal access to women and men but also ensuring equal opportunities and results. Equal opportunities require a consideration of difference, particularly biological, such as maternity protection for women in relation to work or workplace policies that are family-friendly,” she said.
However, Nor Azlili and Noraida are not on the same page in their views on integrity.
While Nor Azlili believes having more women in positions of power will lead to a lower level of corruption, Noraida said there is no conclusive evidence to prove that.
She cited a 2018 analysis of 17 countries in Europe which concluded that while the presence of more women in Parliament had a “casual and negative” impact on corruption, the same did not apply to women participation in economic activities.
Noraida said women are assumed to have higher integrity mostly because historically, they have been in more vulnerable positions and may fear repercussions for being dishonest.
Nor Azlili said companies with a higher number of women in decision-making positions tend to display a higher degree of integrity, but women can be as corrupt as men in circumstances conducive to graft.
