Turning the COVID-19 pandemic into an opportunity: Increasing the representation of female leaders in a post-pandemic world. A case of multinationals in Western Europe.

Details

Supervisors

Aust, Ina

Faculty

Louvain School of Management

Degree label

Master [120] en sciences de gestion, à finalité spécialisée

Abstract

The research objectives of this master’s thesis are, on the one hand, to (1) further understand the impact of COVID-19 on female leaders. On the other hand, we will (2) explore what practices or policies are needed to increase female leaders’ representation in a post-pandemic world and to what extent flexibility can contribute to that end. Indeed, this thesis aims to draw lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic after conducting qualitative empirical research with female leaders to provide concrete recommendations to multinationals in Western Europe on how to increase female leaders’ representation post-pandemic. To answer the aforementioned research questions, a qualitative approach was chosen collecting insights from 12 female leaders working in multinationals in Western Europe using semi-structured interviews to further understand their experiences during the COVID-19 crisis and expectations in the new normal. These data and experiences are then confronted with the existing research and studies developed in the literature review.