Gender Inequality and Tokenism in the Organization: A case study about GlaxoSmithKline Pakistan

Abstract: This thesis aimed to explore the issue of gender inequality and tokenism in various departments of a multi-national company (GlaxoSmithKline) in a developing country (Pakistan) where most employees belong to the middle to upper classes of a patriarchal and hierarchical society. The theory of tokenism suggests that a minority group, the tokens, belonging to a largest dominant group faces certain consequences simply due to their numerical imbalance. A dataset including gender, salary, education, experience, and department data for all employees in the organization was analyzed to paint an accurate picture of gender inequality and tokenism in the organization. Then an online questionnaire, probing the consequences of tokenism and other perceptions of gender inequality, was designed and distributed among female employees within the organization. The results were then analyzed in relation to the organizational and cultural contexts that GSK Pakistan operates in. Surprisingly, the median salary for women in the company as a whole is 60% more than that for men. However, there does seem to be some indication of a glass ceiling for women considering the highest income group has the lowest proportion of women of all income groups. Over all, women at the company do not consider themselves victims of gender discrimination either in the organization or in the society as a whole.