Motivated or merely compensated? A study of the incentive system's effect on women in finance.

Abstract: This thesis investigates what challenges and opportunities incentive systems in the male-dominated finance industry imply for women professionals. By using a qualitative method where ten women investment bankers in Stockholm are interviewed, we find that monetary incentives are not the main motivation driver for women, but rather a supportive culture. Drawing on a hybridization of habitus and reflexivity, we further find that while the incentive system motivates women in the short-term, a lack of resources to pursue competing feminine roles along with exclusion at work that suppresses their motivation make many of the women consider leaving the industry. Thus, we find that the current incentive system is not enough to motivate women in finance in the longer term. Furthermore, our findings partly contradict previous research by suggesting that women are aware of the importance of sociality in performance evaluation.