A qualitative study on exploring the dynamics of the intersectional gender gap in social services California State University Stanislaus

The purpose of this study was to explore the specific dynamics that contribute to the intersectional gender gap as a barrier to equal wages and career advancement for women and to examine and explain how the dynamics that influence the intersectional gender gap may be concealed with the structures of an institution. This study focused on women executives in social service organizations. This research was conducted from a qualitative grounded theory approach and utilized an interview-guided approach with an internet follow up questionnaire based on the themes generated from the first cycle of interviews as well as follow up emails and in person meetings. Ten women were interviewed for the first cycle of this study, while nine participants completed the second cycle questionnaire. The major themes discovered from this research indicate that the dynamics that impact the intersectional gender gap include: factors that contribute to women’s success, social identities, gender, race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation, and, have a greater impact than gender alone. Additionally, the major themes include, sexism, racism, homophobia and discrimination likely exists as hidden and silently intertwined within the institution; and being surrounded by women in the work force forwards a sense of improvement by women that may lend to a false security in the advancement of women in social services; an over-arching theme of power differentials in relationships. Social work would be greatly served by advancing future research on the foundation of power relations as opposed to individual components of power expression.