Women on Top: Prejudices and Advantages of the Female Leader
Location
CSU Ballroom
Start Date
16-4-2013 2:00 PM
End Date
16-4-2013 4:00 PM
Student's Major
Psychology
Student's College
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Mentor's Name
Susan Anderson
Mentor's Department
Psychology
Mentor's College
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Description
According to the role congruity theory, female leaders encounter prejudice in seeking top-level leadership positions (e.g., corporate manager) because female gender roles are incongruent with valued leadership roles (Eagly & Karau, 2002). However, past research suggests that females at the highest leadership positions (e.g., female president) may not experience the same prejudice; rather, they are considered to be regarded favorably and as highly competent leaders (a finding that contrasts with role congruity theory; Rosette & Tost, 2010). The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of gender and leader position on perceptions of female leaders. Participants in this experiment (n=52) were asked to read an article about a leader in which the gender and leadership position (Division Manager vs. Senior Executive Vice President) were manipulated. Participants subsequently answered a short questionnaire, rating the leader on effectiveness, likeability, agentic and communal traits. The perceptions of leaders did not significantly differ between the conditions. Though these results fail to support a female leader advantage or prejudice, further research should be conducted to determine the implications of female leader perceptions.
Women on Top: Prejudices and Advantages of the Female Leader
CSU Ballroom
According to the role congruity theory, female leaders encounter prejudice in seeking top-level leadership positions (e.g., corporate manager) because female gender roles are incongruent with valued leadership roles (Eagly & Karau, 2002). However, past research suggests that females at the highest leadership positions (e.g., female president) may not experience the same prejudice; rather, they are considered to be regarded favorably and as highly competent leaders (a finding that contrasts with role congruity theory; Rosette & Tost, 2010). The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of gender and leader position on perceptions of female leaders. Participants in this experiment (n=52) were asked to read an article about a leader in which the gender and leadership position (Division Manager vs. Senior Executive Vice President) were manipulated. Participants subsequently answered a short questionnaire, rating the leader on effectiveness, likeability, agentic and communal traits. The perceptions of leaders did not significantly differ between the conditions. Though these results fail to support a female leader advantage or prejudice, further research should be conducted to determine the implications of female leader perceptions.
Recommended Citation
Bach, Lauren Marie. "Women on Top: Prejudices and Advantages of the Female Leader." Undergraduate Research Symposium, Mankato, MN, April 16, 2013.
https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/urs/2013/poster-session-B/15
