Claimed but not granted: authorization asymmetry and the intersectional invisibility of foreign women in Japan

Purpose This study investigates how gender and foreignness jointly shape leadership attainment in Japanese organizations. Moving beyond single-axis analyses, it examines whether informal leadership enactment translates into formal institutional recognition. Design/methodology/approach Cross-sectional survey data from 107 professionals in Japan were analyzed using ordered logistic regression, analysis of variance, and descriptive comparisons to evaluate formal leadership roles, informal responsibilities, and organizational climate. Findings Gender is significantly associated with lower formal leadership attainment, while foreignness alone is associated with no significant penalty. The gender-by-foreignness interaction is not statistically significant, and its point estimate is subadditive instead of superadditive, meaning that the disadvantage experienced by foreign women is slightly smaller than the sum of the gender and foreignness penalties would predict. Foreign women report informal leadership responsibilities comparable to those of other groups on a measure that primarily reflects general work effort. Climate ratings for foreign female leadership are the least favorable on substantive items such as representation, developmental support, and motivational support, while remaining moderately positive on procedural fairness. Originality/value This study proposes the concept of authorization asymmetry as a structural extension of the leadership claiming-and-granting model and links it to intersectional invisibility. The current data show a gender-dominant ordering and cannot determine whether authorization asymmetry operates specifically at the intersection of foreign women. The contribution is therefore theoretical by introducing a concept that specifies a granting-side breakdown patterned by intersecting category systems and methodological by providing an interpretive approach to quantitative intersectional analysis in moderately sized, localized samples.