When egalitarianism legitimizes inequality: Implications for gender disparities in organizations

Abstract Stibbard-Hawkes and von Rueden’s process-based account of egalitarianism provides a powerful framework for understanding how egalitarian systems coexist with inequality. Extending this perspective to modern organizations, we argue that such processes may inadvertently legitimize gender disparities. Equality initiatives that rely on moral signaling alone are insufficient; effective interventions must counterbalance the self-interested dynamics through which status and opportunity are allocated.