Exploring Organizational Practices for Gender Equality: A Narrative Inquiry Approach

The contribution focuses on Diversity Management (DM) and the implications of its use for gender equality in Italian companies, where its development has mainly centered on issues regarding women in the workforce. In Italy, women face lower employment rates despite being more educated than men, and this further narrows with an increase in the number of children. They also tend to have lower incomes because of the precariousness of their employment contracts, gender imbalance in economic sectors, and limited opportunities for advancement. This paper builds on previous studies that highlight the need for a contextual understanding of DM approaches using the lens of critical feminism and social constructionism. Critical feminism focuses on the dismantling of patriarchal organizational structures, emphasizing reflection on privilege, structural reform for emancipation, increased gender awareness, and the reconstruction of solidarity. Simultaneously, the contextual and interactive nature of issues, rooted in the formulation of claims and narrative analysis is underscored by social constructionism. Narrative inquiry is used to understand perceptions of gender equality in organizations in Vicenza (in the North-East part of Italy). Fifteen semi-structured interviews with human resource managers will explore policies and organizational practices that promote gender equality. Subsequently, three digital storytelling workshops will be organized with voluntary employees, allowing them to share their experiences. This effort aims to examine and disseminate organizational models for improving gender equality practices, contribute to the development of greater awareness and understanding of gender equality in Vicenza's organizations, and provide insights and tools for promoting positive organizational change.