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How can gender signal employee qualities in retailing?

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  • Chang, Joshua
  • Travaglione, Antonio
  • O’Neill, Grant

Abstract

The occupational structure in retail employment is known to be gendered, such that women tend to occupy ‘softer’ social roles, while men tend to occupy ‘harder’ physical and technical roles. This article presents an integrative model that illustrates the balance of KSAOs (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other personality characteristics) and retail sectors between male and female retail employees, and explains how gender can signal employee qualities in the retail sector. The empirical analysis uses data from a survey of 702 respondents employed across 40 ANZSIC (Australian New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification) retail categories. Based on signalling theory, the findings suggest that an employee's gender can be an unintentional signal for unobservable qualities in retail employment, which has implications for customer service, human resource management, and gender discrimination.

Suggested Citation

  • Chang, Joshua & Travaglione, Antonio & O’Neill, Grant, 2015. "How can gender signal employee qualities in retailing?," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 24-30.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joreco:v:27:y:2015:i:c:p:24-30
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2015.07.004
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    2. Gawlik, Remigiusz, 2016. "Encompassing the Work-Life Balance into Early Career Decision-Making of Future Employees Through the Analytic Hierarchy Process," MPRA Paper 80260, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Quach, Sara & Jebarajakirthy, Charles & Thaichon, Park, 2017. "Aesthetic labor and visible diversity: The role in retailing service encounters," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 34-43.
    4. Pei-Hsuan Tsai & Chih-Jou Chen & Jia-Wei Tang, 2021. "Key Factors Influencing Talent Retention and Turnover in Convenience Stores: A Comparison of Managers’ and Employees’ Perspectives," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(4), pages 21582440211, December.
    5. Otterbring, Tobias & Bhatnagar, Roopali & Samuelsson, Peter & Borau, Sylvie, 2021. "Positive gender congruency effects on shopper responses: Field evidence from a gender egalitarian culture," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    6. Remigiusz Gawlik & Gorm Jacobsen, 2016. "Work-life Balance Decision-making of Norwegian Students: Implications for Human Resources Management," Entrepreneurial Business and Economics Review, Centre for Strategic and International Entrepreneurship at the Cracow University of Economics., vol. 4(4), pages 153-170.

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