Authors

Discussion

During the selection process of executive search, there is double pressure on potential women candidates. On the one hand, the need to conform to a male-dominated business world and, on the other, maternalistic expectations towards women are shaping their prospects. In our presentation, we will explore this ambiguous system of expectations. The investigation is based on interview research on executive search in the Visegrad countries in 2020 and 2021. Twenty-two executive search consultants and Twenty-four company top managers in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary answered our questions.

Our findings show that executive search consultants and company leaders have ambiguous perceptions of women candidates. In the business world, the status quo is a meritocracy and a devotion to leadership in the public sphere. In contrast, women's reproductive tasks and family devotion are regarded as the status quo in the private sphere. Although everyone sees the contradictions and criticizes traditional gender expectations, they do not feel they have the agency to change the biased and discriminatory circumstances.