About

M. Teresa Cardador is a Professor of Labor and Employment Relations and an Affiliate at the Center for Social and Behavioral Science at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from the University of Illinois Gies College of Business, a Master’s in Public Health Policy and Administration, and a Bachelor’s in Psychology from the University of California at Berkeley. Her research explores gender dynamics in the workplace, including career patterns and experiences of women in male-dominated occupations and organizations. She also examines the implications of identity and identification in the workplace and contributors to meaningful and purposeful work. Dr. Cardador is published in top-tier academic journals such as Administrative Science Quarterly, Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Applied Psychology, Organization Science, Journal of Vocational Behavior, and Journal of Organizational Behavior. Her work has been featured in Harvard Business Review and other professional outlets. She serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Organizational Behavior and is involved in editorial boards for several prominent journals. An award-winning teacher, she covers topics including human resource management, management, labor and employment relations, employee motivation and performance, and negotiation. Dr. Cardador has received grants and fellowships from the National Science Foundation and the Center for Advanced Study, and has participated in initiatives aimed at faculty success, representation, and retention. She has held leadership roles within the Academy of Management’s Managerial and Organizational Cognition Division, including serving as Division Chair.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Sociology
• Psychology
• Social Science
• Social psychology
• Political Science
• Engineering
• Demography
• Engineering management
• Mechanical engineering
• Developmental psychology
• Pedagogy

Selected publications

• Charting the Path for Vulnerable Workers: Theories and Evidence on Overcoming Challenges

  Academy of Management Proceedings · 2025-07-01

  article

  This symposium addresses the underexplored work experiences of vulnerable workers within the management field, a crucial area for advancing corporate social responsibility and highlighting shifting labor market dynamics. By amplifying the voices of vulnerable workers, we strive to ensure their experiences inform workplace policies and organizational practices. The symposium features four scholarly papers that highlight the challenges faced by vulnerable workers, including those with criminal records, disabilities, refugee status, and HIV-positive employees. These contributions advance existing literature by offering a diverse range of theoretical frameworks (i.e., social cognitive theory and self-determination theory, etc.), and promoting an inclusive approach that incorporates the perspectives of underrepresented groups from various regions (i.e., Canada, Philippines, and Lebanon). The goal is to create an academic platform for in-depth analyses, stimulating discussions, and exploratory approaches to addressing the challenges faced by vulnerable workers. By fostering these conversations, the symposium aspires to influence impactful research and practices that contribute to more equitable and compassionate workplaces worldwide. The Impact of Employment Programming on Individuals with a Criminal History Author: Kemi Anazodo; University of Windsor Author: Rosemary Ricciardelli; Author: Christopher Chan; York University Author: Yawo Kobara; University of Windsor Author: Hannah Cook; - Author: Reza Ahmadi; AI for All? Unpacking the Impact of Generative AI for Employees with Disabilities Author: Mary Eve Speach; University of Georgia Author: Katie Badura; Georgia Institute of Technology Author: Brent John Lyons; York University Author: Jean-Marc Moke; Schulich School of Business, York University Work-Related Dehumanization Among Refugees: A Self-Enhancement and Self-Protection Perspective Author: Patricia Tabarani; Author: Teresa Cardador; Author: Constantin Lagios; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Author: Simon Lloyd D. Restubog; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign A Self-Determination Perspective on the Job Consequences of Stigmatization Author: Anna Carmella Ocampo; ESADE Business School Author: Fan Xuan Chen; Author: Lu Wang; University of Alberta Author: Simon Lloyd D. Restubog; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Author: Anthony Decoste;

  PublisherDOI

• Threatened Identity and Diminished Adjustment: The Effect of Work-Related Dehumanization on Refugees

  Academy of Management Proceedings · 2025-07-01

  article

  This study investigates the effects of work-related dehumanization on refugees’ work experiences. Relying on identity threat and work adjustment theories, we hypothesize that work-related dehumanization hinders refugees’ work adjustment through internalized identity enactment threat, ultimately impeding refugees’ professional ability development and workplace well-being (i.e., workplace anxiety and job satisfaction). We also expect that a sense of low work inclusion will exacerbate these effects. Drawing from a qualitative pilot study and a three-wave survey of refugees in Lebanon, we find support for our hypothesized relationships. Our model and findings capture the lived experiences of refugees and highlight the challenges they face in adjusting to work in the face of wide-spread work-related dehumanization. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings, as well as proposing avenues for future research.

  PublisherDOI

• Overcoming the Odds: An Integrative Review of Women’s Experiences in Male-Dominated Occupations

  Academy of Management Proceedings · 2025-07-01

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Research about the experiences of women in male-dominated occupations (WMDOs) is vast. However, our understanding is limited by the fragmented and siloed nature of this body of work, which is scattered across separate literatures, and characterized by narrow integration focusing on challenges and/or specific work contexts. This integrative review contributes to our collective understanding of WMDOs by moving the scientific conversation to include strengths and benefits women contribute in MDOs, strategies and interventions that foster positive change, and theoretical perspectives that explain unique contextual dynamics and how these impact women’s careers, as well as their teams and organizations. Based on a thematic and critical analysis of 254 empirical studies, we offer themes from our stated focus areas (i.e., challenges, benefits, strategies, theories), highlight research gaps, and discuss their implications for future research. Keywords: women, career, gender, gender studies, feminist, intersectionality, male-dominated occupations

  PublisherDOI

• Purpose in Life and Work Satisfaction

  OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints) · 2024-03-21

  other

  Using a two-wave, multi-cohort design. we will investigate the degree to which level of and changes in purpose in life are associated with work satisfaction. We plan to employ sensitivity analyses through the use of covariates to determine the extent to which purpose is associated with work outcomes above and beyond other demographic and psychological factors. This work builds on prior work examining the dynamic interplay between purpose and work characteristics.

  Publisher

• Navigating the Challenges of Vulnerable Workers: Theoretical and Empirical Advancements

  Academy of Management Proceedings · 2024-07-09

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Gendered Elective Track Choice in Engineering Undergraduate Education: Antecedents and Career Path Implications

  2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access Proceedings · 2024-02-20

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Her research centers on how occupations, organizations, and personal orientations toward

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Is Demography Destiny? Exploring the Influence of Gendered Organizational and Occupational Contexts

  Academy of Management Proceedings · 2024-07-09

  article

  Gender differences in career trajectories and representation in top- tier positions persist today, despite broader progress toward achieving equality in society. A robust body of evidence points to a combination of supply-side (i.e., differences in preferences) and demand-side (i.e., biases and unfair barriers) processes perpetuating gender gaps in career advancement. To develop a comprehensive understanding of these processes, it is crucial to take a multi-level perspective and consider the interplay between men and women and their firms, networks, and occupational contexts. This symposium contributes to this growing area of work by bringing together quantitative and qualitative work that builds and tests theory for how gendered organizational, occupational, and network contexts impact various aspects of men’s and women’s performance, experiences, and choices in the workplace. Protecting the occupation: Incumbent backlash in response to gender diversity in law enforcement Author: Jirs Meuris; U. of Wisconsin-Madison Author: Jennifer M. Merluzzi; George Washington U. Author: Alexis Avery; U. of Wisconsin, Madison Author: Julia Lee Melin; Dartmouth College, Tuck School of Business Exploring positive career implications of feminized behavior for women in male-dominated occupations Author: Tiffany Trzebiatowski; Colorado State U. Author: Teresa Cardador; U. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Collaboration-association trade-off: Artist network gender composition and creative product novelty Author: Noah Askin; U. of California, Irvine Author: Sharon Koppman; U. of California, Irvine Author: Michael Mauskapf; Columbia Business School Author: Brian Uzzi; Northwestern U. Investments to responsibilities: Unpacking sponsors' gendered reasons for lending social capital Author: Elizabeth Lauren Campbell; Rady School of Management, U. of California San Diego

  PublisherDOI

• Board 263: Elective Track Choice and Career Attitudes in Engineering Undergraduate Education: Antecedents, Gender Differences, and Implications

  2024-02-07

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract With support from the NSF Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) Program, this Institutional and Community Transformation project aims to serve the national interest of broadening participation by improving the representation of women in more technically-oriented roles and career paths within engineering. Research has shown that women who pursue engineering careers are more likely than their male counterparts to be in less technical roles and careers paths, and these gendered career patterns increase attrition risk for female engineers. This project focuses on female engineering students' elective track choices and career attitudes as potential "upstream" predictors of gendered career patterns and investigates the driving forces behind elective track choices and career path decisions for female engineering students. The research is grounded in intra-occupational sex segregation and social cognitive career theories. We systematically explore elective track choices and career attitudes among aspiring engineers in three engineering departments—Bioengineering, Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. In our poster presentation, we will present the main findings of this multi-year, multi-method research study. In particular, we will provide an overview of our findings with respect to the following research questions: (1) What personal and programmatic factors contribute to women engineering students' elective track selection? Do these factors differ by major; (2) What curricular and extra-curricular factors are most related to women students' elective track selection in bioengineering? Do the relationships between these factors and track choice vary by gender or track? What are students' career outcome expectations associated with elective track selection? Do these outcome expectations vary by gender or track? What career sectors and career paths do bioengineering students report most interest in pursuing? Do these career interests vary by gender or elective track? (3) How do women engineering students characterize, and show interest in, the technical vs. managerial career paths in engineering industry? (4) How do women engineering students view the relevance of professional skills for their educational and career success? How do these views change over the course of their education? (5) Do social-emotional skills predict career path attitudes and preferences among engineering students? Does gender moderate these relationships? and (6) How, if at all, has Covid shaped female engineering students career attitudes and interests? We will discuss research findings in more detail and describe how and why contributions from the body of research stemming from this project will help inform theory and practice related to improving the diversity of students participating in the more technically-oriented roles and career paths within engineering and will provide insight into institutional changes to enhance gender equality in engineering education curricula in order to better prepare women to enter technical roles in the workforce.

  PublisherDOI

• Associative Status Elevation Dynamics Between Women in Lower and Higher Status Occupations

  Academy of Management Proceedings · 2024-07-09

  articleSenior author

  An extensive literature on gender status inequality in the workplace shows how such inequality disadvantages women, particularly high-status women. While important, this focus has shed limited light on the experiences of lower occupational status women. For these women, a novel challenge is attaining status in occupations where they must simultaneously navigate two institutional hierarchies linked to lower status—gender and occupation. Drawing from interviews with 42 nurses, we present a model illustrating what we refer to as “associative status elevation” dynamics between low and high occupational status women. Our model highlights how organizational and occupational systems characterized by high gender and occupational status inequality set the stage for low-status women’s need for status elevation and explains how such need shapes low-status women’s interactions with high-status actors, particularly high-status women. The findings shed new light on gender dynamics in the workplace, reveal a novel explanation for tensions and expectations between women collaborating across occupations, and suggest new avenues for research at the intersection of gender and occupational status inequality in the workplace.

  PublisherDOI

• INTEREST IN, AND CHARACTERIZATION OF, MANAGERIAL AND TECHNICAL CAREER PATHS AMONG SECOND-YEAR WOMEN ENGINEERING STUDENTS

  Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering · 2023 · 3 citations

  • Sociology
  • Computer Science
  • Psychology

  Patterns of intraoccupational gender segregation have been found in engineering industry, and these patterns may pose challenges for women, currently and historically. We explore the career path interests and characterizations of women engineering students toward technical and managerial paths in industry that may be precursors to their eventual choice of career path once they enter the profession. We conducted semi-interviews with 30 second-year women engineering students in three majors. We applied an iterative thematic analysis approach to explore and compare career path interests and attitudes within and across majors. Analyses generated four key findings: (1) the majority of students expressed an interest in the managerial career path; (2) students associated the managerial career path with preferences for collaboration and holistic work, applying dual skills, and opportunities to have relational and organizational impact; (3) students associated the technical career path with preferences for challenge, applying specialized technical skills, and societal impact through technological innovation; and (4) students in majors with higher percentages of women were more likely to express interest in the managerial career path. Our work suggests that women have clear interests and preconceptions about engineering career paths early in their undergraduate education. These findings may hold implications for women students' eventual career decisions and the patterns of intraoccupational gender segregation in engineering industry.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Grisel Lopez‐Alvarez

  University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

  12 shared

• Karin Jensen

  University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

  11 shared

• Andrea Kunze

  Delta State University

  11 shared

• H J Chiou

  University of Michigan–Ann Arbor

  9 shared

• Sohee Kim

  Daejin University

  9 shared

• Isabel Miller

  University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

  9 shared

• Gregory B. Northcraft

  4 shared

• Sara J. Weston

  University of Oregon

  3 shared

Awards & honors

• National Science Foundation grant and fellowship