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Descriptions and determinants of the career development of female Chinese senior executives working at multinational companies in China

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China has amongst the highest proportion of women in senior executive management roles, far outstripping Western countries such as the USA, France or Germany. Both in China and throughout the world, female executives are subject to a wide range of influences that affect their prospects for success in their careers. Very little is said in the existing literature about these determinants, context-specific factors and the career paths of top Chinese female managers, and hence there are almost no descriptions of the experiences of female Chinese executives. This thesis approaches the topic and its various aspects in a holistic manner in order to better understand the career determinants and career paths and patterns of female executives working in multinational companies in modern-day China. A conceptual framework was developed following Creswell (2014), which was based on existing research to provide an overall “theoretical orientation lens” and served a “map” guiding this qualitative research and its analysis. Using data collected through semi-structured interviews with 35 female Chinese executives and using content analysis as the instrument of analysis, this dissertation presents and interprets the women’s descriptions regarding external and individual determinants as well as their career paths. The study culminates with a typology describing the typical career patterns of the study group.
This thesis concludes with clear recommendations for HR-management both in and beyond China that may help to support women rising to senior executive levels and bind them to foreign multinational organizations in China. The research also provides useful career strategies for women who are targeting a senior level managerial career based on the example of the Chinese female executives.