FAMILY BUSINESS

Family Business

Family Business

There is a substantial amount of research on the professional experiences of executive women in managerial positions and on the women in these positions in their family businesses. These heterogeneous studies of family business not only differ in orientation and results, but also in terms of cultural environments: most were done in the United States, one is from Canada, and one is from Brazil. They focus less on structural issues and more on behavioural ones. (Manfred 1996: 10)

For example, there are studies about father daughter relationships in family business, personal aspects, and attributes for careers.

In some of these studies, women are openly accepted in their family companies; they succeed and play a key role in the business. In others, they are prevented from reaching these positions, despite their competence. Such differing results of women's experiences in family business points to a need to investigate this topic further to explain variations in roles and visibility over time. (Fred 1998: 68 - 74)

Fundamental questions need to be addressed, such as: "Why do women succeed in some family business and not in others?" and "Why do they succeed only during certain periods of time?" Although it is beyond the scope of this paper to reach definitive conclusions regarding these questions, the intent is to further this discussion. (Manfred 1996: 10)

The specific aim herein is to analyze how family and business structures affect female heirs in managerial positions.

Several concepts and assumptions need reviewing before developing a gender study. Gender represents the social aspect in relations between men and women. It is difficult to agree on which aspects may be more important in constituting gender and gender relations. Feminist theories tend to agree on the idea of differentiation between men and women, thus the concept of difference is apparent. A common point in gender studies is association of the difference between genders to inequality: Most theories share the understanding of male dominance in social arrangements, with men exercising power over women.

However, there is no consensus regarding the nature of the gender difference, perhaps explaining why the studies of women's careers in family businesses have had such distinct focuses and results. Possible explanations are posited in researchers' options in choosing feminist theories.

It might be socialization into sex/gender roles or cultural practices that value men's experiences over women's. Other reasons for the nature of the gender difference may be found in psychosexual development as both a personal and a societal issue with cultural and historical roots or in the processes of power relations in our societies.

Given the many possible understandings of what causes gender differences, it is fundamental to explain the usage applied in this study. The term gender, as used herein, is understood as a relationship that is always embedded in a social sphere. However, gender is used in its universal sense as well as in its individual sense, which can be seen in each specific relationship. There are relationships that, although part of a universal concept of gender, can be ...