Date

5-23-2025

Department

Graduate School of Business

Degree

Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)

Chair

Johnny Maddox

Keywords

gender pay inequity, cognitive bias, senior-level C-suite women, pay parity, transparent compensation practices

Disciplines

Business | Human Resources Management

Abstract

Gender pay inequity and the lack of representation of women in senior C-suite level roles remain pervasive issues. This behavior results in workers receiving unequal wages and being underrepresented in senior-level C-suite positions, ultimately affecting the organization's bottom line. The purpose of this qualitative, flexible design, single case study was to explore the failure of some organizations to pay senior-level C-suite women comparable to males holding the same title and experience. The location is from the southeast region of the U.S., where employees work for organizations with 1,000 plus employees, resulting in a potential decrease in organizational performance and profitability. Sixteen participants were interviewed individually through Zoom, utilizing 20 semi-structured interview questions. I analyzed and coded the transcripts using NVivo software. Three themes emerged from the research. The first theme that emerged was the impact of leadership behaviors or actions rooted in cognitive bias and how it catalyzes the devaluation of women as employees and leaders, including the inability to pay them comparable wages. The second theme was the need for pay parity and diversity, which is understanding an organization with a competitive advantage. The third theme was the need for leaders to facilitate cultures of equity and provide greater transparency around organizational compensation practices. Organizational leaders can use these research findings to mitigate pay inequity, increase the representation of women in senior-level c-suite roles, and facilitate cultures of equity, inclusive of transparency around compensation practices or approaches.

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