Organisational Diversity Policies and Management: Firm-Level Commitment, Implementation and Impacts of Diversity Policies at the Intersection of Gender and Migration Background

Vertical and horizontal occupational segregation along gendered and migrational lines are main forces driving labour market inequalities. The intersection of several structures of inequality has been found to result in double devaluation, where occupations that are both feminised, and immigrant-typed are often especially low-paid and low-status. From the demand-side, organisations can play an important role in de-segregating occupations. At the European level, firms have since 2004 been able to sign national Diversity Charters, which underline the commitment of the organisation to implement policies aiming to promote diversity and equal opportunities in the workplace, regardless of diverse employee characteristics. However, considerable theoretical unclarity remains on the concept of diversity charters, their implementation, and impacts on diversity and de-segregation over time.

The present thesis aims to explore three interrelated research puzzles. Firstly, why do firms choose to commit to diversity policies? Secondly, how are diversity policies implemented, and do they take into consideration the intersection of multiple structures of inequality amongst diverse employees? And finally, what are the impacts of diversity policies on occupational de-segregation over time? To answer these questions, the thesis will analyse novel data from several European countries and (gender and migrational (a)typical) sectors with a mixed-methods approach. Semi-structured interviews with employers analyzed through an abductive coding approach, and possibly large language models, aim to uncover the motivations and implementation strategies of employers who commit to diversity policies. Complimenting the qualitative analysis, a factorial survey experiment investiagtes the impact of diversity policies over time on occupational segregation at the intersection of migration background and sex, taking into consideration workplace and employer characteristics.