The present study examines how corporate women use self-presentation in the workplace to communicate professionalism. The study utilizes Communication Theory of Identity (CTI) to consider the self-presentation experiences of corporate women. CTI identifies four identity layers: personal, relational, enacted, and communal, which interact and influence each other as individuals attempt to define themselves. Through semi-structured, in-depth interviews with corporate women, the present study found the following results: women often receive communication regarding self-presentation standards from peers rather than formal policies, self-presentation expectations have become more casual and diverse, women still encounter challenges resulting in the need to (re)negotiate their identity, and corporate women often experience personal-enacted identity gaps as a result of self-presentation expectations. This study contributes to the growing collection of academic literature that seeks to better understand the experiences of corporate women’s gendered marginalization in the workplace.
","abstract_html":"<p>The present study examines how corporate women use self-presentation in the workplace to communicate professionalism. The study utilizes Communication Theory of Identity (CTI) to consider the self-presentation experiences of corporate women. CTI identifies four identity layers: personal, relational, enacted, and communal, which interact and influence each other as individuals attempt to define themselves. Through semi-structured, in-depth interviews with corporate women, the present study found the following results: women often receive communication regarding self-presentation standards from peers rather than formal policies, self-presentation expectations have become more casual and diverse, women still encounter challenges resulting in the need to (re)negotiate their identity, and corporate women often experience personal-enacted identity gaps as a result of self-presentation expectations. This study contributes to the growing collection of academic literature that seeks to better understand the experiences of corporate women’s gendered marginalization in the workplace.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Mack, Taylor E."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Communication - Communication Studies Track","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Communication Department","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Dr. Benjamin Baker","Dr. Tesa Leonce","Dr. Tiffany McBride"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2023,"date_issued":"2023-12-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2023-12-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:45:08Z","subjects":["Communication Theory of Identity","Self-Presentation","Corporate Women","Business and Corporate Communications","Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication","Other Communication"],"languages":["English"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://csuepress.columbusstate.edu/theses_dissertations/498","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Dr. Benjamin Baker","Dr. Tesa Leonce","Dr. Tiffany McBride"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Mack, Taylor E."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2023-12-05T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Communication Department"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Communication - Communication Studies Track"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Communication Theory of Identity","Self-Presentation","Corporate Women","Business and Corporate Communications","Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication","Other Communication"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["English"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://csuepress.columbusstate.edu/theses_dissertations/498"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The present study examines how corporate women use self-presentation in the workplace to communicate professionalism. The study utilizes Communication Theory of Identity (CTI) to consider the self-presentation experiences of corporate women. CTI identifies four identity layers: personal, relational, enacted, and communal, which interact and influence each other as individuals attempt to define themselves. Through semi-structured, in-depth interviews with corporate women, the present study found the following results: women often receive communication regarding self-presentation standards from peers rather than formal policies, self-presentation expectations have become more casual and diverse, women still encounter challenges resulting in the need to (re)negotiate their identity, and corporate women often experience personal-enacted identity gaps as a result of self-presentation expectations. This study contributes to the growing collection of academic literature that seeks to better understand the experiences of corporate women’s gendered marginalization in the workplace.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["\"Maybe I Shouldn't Have Worn Such High Heels\" Examining Self-Presentation Expectations for Corporate Women Using Communication Theory of Identity"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Dr. Benjamin Baker","Dr. Tesa Leonce","Dr. Tiffany McBride"],"dc:creator":["Mack, Taylor E."],"dc:date.available":["2023-12-05T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The present study examines how corporate women use self-presentation in the workplace to communicate professionalism. The study utilizes Communication Theory of Identity (CTI) to consider the self-presentation experiences of corporate women. CTI identifies four identity layers: personal, relational, enacted, and communal, which interact and influence each other as individuals attempt to define themselves. Through semi-structured, in-depth interviews with corporate women, the present study found the following results: women often receive communication regarding self-presentation standards from peers rather than formal policies, self-presentation expectations have become more casual and diverse, women still encounter challenges resulting in the need to (re)negotiate their identity, and corporate women often experience personal-enacted identity gaps as a result of self-presentation expectations. This study contributes to the growing collection of academic literature that seeks to better understand the experiences of corporate women’s gendered marginalization in the workplace.
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