Abstract
Research on employee voice determinants, exemplified by models such as Kaufman (2015), has explored individual characteristics such as age, gender, and ethnicity in shaping workplace voice experiences. Concurrently, scholarly inquiry underscores the pivotal role of work status in affording voice opportunities, positing that higher status correlates with greater decision-making power and voice efficacy (Pfrombeck et al., 2022). However, the intricate interplay between individual characteristics and work status remains underexplored, particularly in the context of turbulent external macroeconomic and sociocultural environments. This study seeks to address this gap by elucidating a) the nuanced intersections between gender, as an individual characteristic, and work status and b) their dynamic interaction with the broader macro-economic and sociocultural environment. Focusing on Mongolia, a large emerging economy experiencing profound political, economic, and socio-cultural transformations, we examine the experiences of 41 mid-career female managers working in small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Our findings indicate that gender norms, influenced by broader socio-cultural contexts encompassing culture, tradition, and spirituality, wield a predominant influence on voice determinants, notably overshadowing the significance of work status and hindering voice efficacy.