Overt Employment Discrimination by Multinational Firms: Cultural and Economic Influences in a Developing Country
Author(s)
Lawler, John J.; Bae, Johngseok
Abstract
Focuses on the role that multinational firms play in promoting or inhibiting employment discrimination based on gender in developing countries, specifically, Thailand. Determinants of the inclusion of explicit gender restrictions in newspaper job announcements are analyzed, comparing multinationals and Thai-owned firms. The analysis examines the relationship of the cultural characteristics of the firm’s home country, along with economic growth in the host country, with the likelihood of various gender-based restrictions being placed in job announcements. Control variables include dummy variables to control for occupation and the industry of the employee firm. G. Hofstede’s (eg, 1980) measures of national culture are employed, and empirical results demonstrate relationships between discrimination and certain of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. Economic growth was not found to have an impact on discrimination.
