Gender equality and managers' work in elderly and social care: A structural equation modelling approach

The study explores whether, and how, gender equality is associated with key aspects related to operative managers' improvement work. We explore the possible associations between gender equality and; prioritization of social regulations in operative decision-making, engagement in operative improvement work, group dynamics challenges and collaboration between managers and subordinates.

Regarding organizational relations and preconditions for providing good care and developing operative work in the social and elderly care sector, the value of having organizational gender equality is unknown.

Associations were analysed using structural equation modelling of questionnaire data. The questionnaire was distributed to first-line managers in a large city in Sweden (n = 598, response rate 56%).

Positive perceptions of organizations' gender equality were significantly associated with more engagement in operative improvement work, fewer group dynamics challenges and higher priority of social regulations in unit decision-making, also when controlling for confounders. Gender equality had no association with managers' collaboration with subordinates in this study.

This study demonstrates that equal opportunities for male and female workers could benefit operative managers' improvement work.

Organizations that strive to improve conditions for operative work, which strengthen preconditions for service development, should include values of gender equality.