Participation in voluntary training activities in the Canadian banking industry : Do gender and managerial status matter?

Purpose – This study seeks to investigate whether gender and managerial status act as significant correlates of participation in voluntary training. Design/methodology/approach – This theoretical foundation rests on human capital and systemic discrimination theories. Data come from the computerized records of a bank's employees. Findings – Results show that both gender and managerial status have a differential impact on participation in voluntary training: women participate more than men and managers' participation is higher than non‐managers' participation. Also, individual characteristics and productivity‐related variables impact differently on participation by gender and managerial status. Originality/value – The results showed that the probability of participating in voluntary training varies according to gender and managerial status. This probability is explained in particular by the differential effect produced by the individuals' productivity‐related characteristics (age, schooling, organizational tenure and part‐time status) according to gender and managerial status.