Impact of Gender-Based Policies on Employee Productivity and Organizational Growth

Abstract

This paper examines how gender-based policies including board gender quotas, family-friendly policies (paid parental leave, childcare subsidies), flexible/remote work arrangements and pay-transparency / anti-discrimination measures affect employee productivity and organizational growth. Drawing on a systematic thematic review of experimental, quasi-experimental and meta-analytic evidence, the study synthesizes firm-level and employee-level outcomes and proposes a unified empirical framework for causal evaluation (staggered difference-in-differences, event-study and individual-level mediation analysis). The review followed PRISMA guidelines to ensure replicability and methodological transparency. The evidence suggests that (a) targeted policies that reduce work-family conflict (paid leave, childcare subsidies, family-supportive supervision) increase employee retention, job satisfaction and measured productivity (employee output, minutes worked, sales per employee), with effect sizes typically small-to-moderate but economically meaningful. (b) Board quotas and increased female representation tend to strengthen governance inputs (monitoring, attendance) and increase representation without consistent short-run negative financial effects; long-run productivity and growth effects are context-dependent. (c) Flexible/telework improves productivity under appropriate managerial systems (Bloom et al., experiment: +13% productivity) but requires inclusive practices to realize team benefits. Mechanisms include reduced turnover and absenteeism, improved morale and human-capital continuity and enhanced decision-making through gender-diverse perspectives.