The Effects of Multilevel Signals on Sex Discrimination Experiences Among Female Employees

In this study, we examine the effect of organizational‐level and individual‐level signals on sex discrimination experiences, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions in a sample of South Korean female employees and organizations. Results indicate that the percentage of women employed in organizations was negatively associated with sex discrimination experienced by women. The number of family‐friendly policies was also negatively associated with sex discrimination in a panel design but not in a cross‐sectional design. We also found that the relationship between individual participation in development activities (e.g., leadership development course, academic degree) and sex discrimination experiences was moderated by organizational‐level participation in development activities. Specifically, the negative impact of participation in development activities on sex discrimination is stronger for individuals in organizations with lower compared to higher levels of overall participation. The same was true for the individual educational level. The negative impact of individual educational level on sex discrimination is stronger for individuals in organizations with high educational level than for those in low organizational educational level. Further, experienced sex discrimination influences individual turnover intention via job satisfaction. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.