The situation and perceptions of female managers in German invested enterprises in China

The high esteem of German managers for the female Chinese staff in German–Chinese economic co-operations during a survey in Sino–German joint ventures in 1998 made us wonder in what ways female employees actually distinguish themselves from their male counterparts. Despite the high esteem, only very few women are working at the higher management levels. This article focuses on the situation of Chinese and German female managers in German invested enterprises in China and probes into the circumstances of their under-representation at the higher management levels by looking into individual and external factors posing as obstacles for career development. Renate Krieg is a research fellow with the University of Applied Science Bremen (Hochschule Bremen), and lecturer at the Technical University Dresden. From 1985 to 1988, she worked as a representative of the German Academic Exchange Service in Shanghai. Since 1989, she has undertaken various research projects on a free-lance basis. Her major research interest includes society and social chance, the social security system and the impact of economic reforms on different social groups in the PRC. Since 1997, her research focus is on cross-cultural management in German invested enterprises in China, working on related projects at Hochschule Bremen.

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Renate KriegEmail: