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Gender in Sustainable Innovation
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Gender in Sustainable Innovation

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2021) | Viewed by 18397

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Ana Beatriz Hernández Lara

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Rovira i Virgili University
Interests: strategic management; innovation; corporate governance; gender.
Prof. Dr. Amado Alarcón Alarcón

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Rovira i Virgili University
Interests: language; economy and workplace; language and migrations; sociology of organizations; tourism and entrepreneurship

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Innovation is considered a key strategy for companies and institutions not only to develop and maintain competitive advantages in the ongoing turbulent market, but also for their success and survival. Its impact on their long-term wealth and survival makes this strategy fundamental for the dimensions of the triple bottom line of sustainability that involves social equity, environmental integrity, and economic prosperity (Elkington, 1998). Among the different factors that affect innovation and its sustainability component, gender diversity in decision-making and government bodies has emerged as crucial in the last decades as a matter of social justice and due to the ethical nature of the underrepresentation of women in top positions of companies and institutions (Torchia, Calabrò, Gabaldon, & Kanadli, 2018). Research and innovation outcomes are influenced by biological and social differences between females and males, and there is a growing scientific consensus to integrate gender as a dimension of quality and impact in research, which constitutes a relevant seed for the achievement of sustainable innovation. The scientific evidence also suggests that gender issues cannot be separated from the different goals of sustainable development, like actions to tackle poverty, wellbeing, energy and environmental burdens, or economic and societal advances. Similarly, the reasons and drivers of unsustainability and of gender inequality are interlocked (Neumayer & Plümper, 2007) in a way where unsustainable patterns of development intensify gender inequality. This fosters a vicious cycle that can only be broken when women and gender diversity leave their imprint on sustainable development, contributing to strategies oriented towards this goal, which include innovation.

Prof. Dr. Ana Beatriz Hernández Lara
Prof. Dr. Amado Alarcón Alarcón
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Gender and strategic management
  • Gender and corporate governance
  • Gender in sustainable innovation
  • Gender in sustainable entrepreneurship
  • Gender as a dimension of quality and impact of research
  • Role of gender in sustainable development goals

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

25 pages, 314 KiB  
Article
Actions to Promote the Employment and Social Inclusion of Muslim Women Who Wear the Hijab in Catalonia (Spain)
by Carme Garcia-Yeste, Lena de Botton, Pilar Alvarez and Roger Campdepadros
Sustainability 2021, 13(13), 6991; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13136991 - 22 Jun 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3949
Abstract
The current context of growing religious and cultural diversity requires, from societies, an adequate management of the expression of religious diversity in different social spheres, including the workplace. Muslim women who wear the hijab are one of the social groups that most frequently [...] Read more.
The current context of growing religious and cultural diversity requires, from societies, an adequate management of the expression of religious diversity in different social spheres, including the workplace. Muslim women who wear the hijab are one of the social groups that most frequently suffer prejudice and discrimination in work settings due to the intersection of multiple forms of discrimination, including gender, ethnic origin, religion and the use of a visible religious symbol. With the aim of exploring the experiences of Muslim women with hijab and identifying barriers and opportunities in their access to employment in Catalonia (Spain), a qualitative study with a communicative orientation was conducted, involving twelve communicative daily-life stories with Muslim women who wear the hijab and eleven in-depth interviews with a communicative orientation with other relevant actors in the fields of training and employment (employers, managers of internship programs, political representatives, etc.). The findings revealed some pending challenges and effective pathways to improve the employment and social inclusion of Muslim women wearing the hijab. The implications of the study point to the need to incorporate respect for diversity as a necessary value to move towards more inclusive societies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gender in Sustainable Innovation)
12 pages, 266 KiB  
Article
Definitions of Sustainability in the Context of Gender
by Anna Odrowaz-Coates
Sustainability 2021, 13(12), 6862; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13126862 - 17 Jun 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3308
Abstract
The notion of sustainability is of paramount importance for long-term survival; it is also about keeping up, moving on, and not jeopardizing the future of life on earth or the future itself. It is about tangible strategies for the reproduction and long-term existence [...] Read more.
The notion of sustainability is of paramount importance for long-term survival; it is also about keeping up, moving on, and not jeopardizing the future of life on earth or the future itself. It is about tangible strategies for the reproduction and long-term existence of our own species that may be supported by the mundane everyday life practices and consumer or citizen choices that are often linked directly or indirectly to gender. Sustainable development relies on innovation and innovative social solutions. Without them, sustainability would not persist. This paper sets its research perspective within a systematic review of the literature and theory to develop a sustainability definition within the context of gender as a seed for sustainable innovation. This paper is divided into sections that cover various issues, such as: sustainability and gender in demographics (social justice, increase in number of pensioners, labor market); environment/ecology (education, ecofeminism); and corporate responsibility (consumer decisions and leadership). In each section, a definition is developed, being supported by evidence from existing studies and a discussion on how sustainability may be defined in the context of gender concludes the paper. The paper suggests that gender has a clear social impact, which constitutes a relevant and important seed for the achievement of sustainable development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gender in Sustainable Innovation)
13 pages, 304 KiB  
Article
Sustainable Innovation in Higher Education: The Impact of Gender on Innovation Competences
by Raquel Ferreras-Garcia, Jordi Sales-Zaguirre and Enric Serradell-López
Sustainability 2021, 13(9), 5004; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13095004 - 29 Apr 2021
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4060
Abstract
There is currently an increasing interest for sustainable innovation in our society. The European agendas highlight the role of higher education institutions in the formation and development of innovation competences among students. Our study aimed to contribute to the analysis of the level [...] Read more.
There is currently an increasing interest for sustainable innovation in our society. The European agendas highlight the role of higher education institutions in the formation and development of innovation competences among students. Our study aimed to contribute to the analysis of the level of achievement of students’ innovation competences by considering two sustainable development goals (SDG) of the 2030 United Nations’ Agenda: Gender Equality (SDG 5) and Quality Education (SDG 4). This article tries to answer how business students perceive their own innovation competences and which innovative competences are best achieved by students, as well as if there are differences in the achievement of these competences depending on the students’ gender. Our results, from a sample of 360 students in the Business Administration and Management Bachelor’s Degree at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, confirm the extensive development of innovation competences. Moreover, female students present a high level of preparation for innovation-oriented action. These findings have educational implications for potentiating the innovation competences and environments where females can attain innovation skills. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gender in Sustainable Innovation)
13 pages, 513 KiB  
Article
Social Sustainability on Corporate Boards: The Effects of Female Family Members on R&D
by Ana Beatriz Hernández-Lara, Juan Pablo Gonzales-Bustos and Amado Alarcón-Alarcón
Sustainability 2021, 13(4), 1982; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13041982 - 12 Feb 2021
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3457
Abstract
There is growing institutional and social pressure for greater balance, parity, and equality at the highest levels of corporations. This is coupled with an increasing interest in analysing the effects of gender diversity on corporate boards. However, companies may only reap the benefits [...] Read more.
There is growing institutional and social pressure for greater balance, parity, and equality at the highest levels of corporations. This is coupled with an increasing interest in analysing the effects of gender diversity on corporate boards. However, companies may only reap the benefits of gender diversity by achieving better qualified and more independent boards. This study aims to contribute to the open debate on the effects of board gender diversity on R&D, by taking into account the independence of female directors. Panel regression analyses were performed with data for 67 Spanish-listed companies during the 2003–2019 period. Our results confirm the positive effects of gender diversity on R&D. However, this positive influence is lower if female directors have family links with male members on the board. These findings have policy implications, regarding the need to increase gender equality in corporate boards for social and sustainability purposes, while the benefits are conditioned by the independence of female directors. The value of this research rests on the study of the effects, beyond the mere analysis of financial performance of the gender diversity of boards. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gender in Sustainable Innovation)
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16 pages, 3943 KiB  
Article
Sustainable Development, Energy Transition, and Climate Challenges in the Context of Gender: The Framework of Gender Determinants of Environmental Orientation in Poland
by Piotr Żuk and Anna Pacześniak
Sustainability 2020, 12(21), 9214; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12219214 - 05 Nov 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2447
Abstract
How does gender affect attitudes towards ecology? This question is of particular interest in a society where conservative and populist power elites perceive the concepts of “gender” and “ecology” as manifestations of “foreign” cultural influences. In turn, the dependence of the Polish energy [...] Read more.
How does gender affect attitudes towards ecology? This question is of particular interest in a society where conservative and populist power elites perceive the concepts of “gender” and “ecology” as manifestations of “foreign” cultural influences. In turn, the dependence of the Polish energy system on coal forces us to look for various social factors that may support energy transition and the principles of sustainable development. The article outlines the results of computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) research on a representative sample of Polish society composed of 1.001 people and analyses the gender differentiation of attitudes towards the policy of sustainable development in Poland. The results presented in this article clearly show that women in Poland constitute an important support for ecological activities and energy transition. This is also the case with the entire progressive vision of politics: Women have become its main driver and an opportunity for change. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gender in Sustainable Innovation)
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