Recent issues in gender research: a structured literature review

Purpose – Awareness of gender as a central feature of all aspects of everyday life and society has become more and more widespread. Appropriately social sciences research is reflecting this increasing concern with gender. As a matter of fact that the field of gender research is dynamic and constantly evolving. Therefore it is beneficial to step back at times and observe the main themes and patterns that are emerging. This paper seeks to do that. The aim is to provide a review of some of the recent literature in the field gender in different aspects. Design/methodology/approach – To gather data for our study 629 articles were examined on gender taken from two key journals (in Gender Work and Organisation and in Gender in Management) to outline leading issues and themes in recent research between 2005 and 2014. Originality/value – This paper contributes to the literature in several ways. First, it provides a focused analysis of gender research published in these last ten years, allowing researchers to gain a better understanding of the direction of the contemporary women in work and management research. Second, it draws attention to key emerging themes for research and policy developments. Fourth, it notes a growing interest on applied research and it signals the narrowing of the gap between research and practice. Finally the paper provides a comprehensive picture of what has happened in the field of female entrepreneurship over the past decade and it highlights areas for future research Practical implications – The major implication is to advance knowledge and practice in the area of gender in management and leadership by focusing upon empirical research, theoretical developments, practice and current issues. The research addresses broad-ranging social issues, not limited to political and legislative decisions, social and educational policy and economic factors, in its consideration of gender in management and leadership. Finally our analysis highlights the emergence of women presence in firm’s corporate governance as a major area of research. .