Stereotypes still trip women’s chances to lead
July 14th, 2011 - 6:28 pm ICT by IANSWashington, July 14 (IANS) Many women believe that stereotypes trip their chances when it comes to playing leadership roles, says a study.
But a new meta-analysis (integration of a large number of studies on the same subject) shows that even today leadership continues to be viewed as culturally masculine. Thus, women suffer from two primary forms of prejudice.
The implications of the meta-analysis are straight forward, said Alice Eagly, study co-author and professor of psychology at the Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, the US, the journal Psychological Bulletin reports.
“Cultural stereotypes can make it seem that women do not have what it takes for important leadership roles, thereby adding to the barriers that women encounter in attaining roles that yield substantial power and authority,” she said, according to a Northwestern statement.
Women are viewed as less qualified or natural in most leadership roles, the research shows, and secondly, when women adopt culturally masculine behaviours often required by these roles, they may be viewed as presumptuous.
These reactions to women leaders reflect gender stereotypes.
Previous research found that predominantly “communal” qualities, such as being nice or compassionate, are associated with women, and predominantly “agentic” qualities, such as being assertive or competitive, are associated with men.
It is these agentic qualities that are believed to be essential to successful leadership. Because men fit the cultural stereotype of leadership better than women, they have better access to leadership roles and face fewer challenges in becoming successful in them.
The good news for women is that the project’s analyses indicate that this masculine construal of leadership is weaker now than it was in earlier years.
Despite this shift toward more androgynous beliefs about leadership, it remains culturally masculine - just not as extremely so as in the past. However, this masculinity lessens somewhat for lower-level leadership positions and in educational organisations.
–Indo-Asian News service
st/rah/vt
- Curiosity helps students perform well at school - Oct 30, 2011
- Calcium supplements' link to heart attack risk 'overstated' - Jul 31, 2010
- Male modesty a turn off for both men and women - Jul 30, 2010
- Girls at par with boys when it comes to math abilities - Jan 06, 2010
- Female roles in films affect views of how women in real world should be - Apr 01, 2011
- Emotional distress does not stop fertility treatment from working: Study - Feb 25, 2011
- Women really do prefer macho men - Jul 31, 2010
- Disney princes, princesses still slaves to some stereotypes - Apr 02, 2011
- New study negates stereotype image of adolescent sex offenders - Jul 25, 2010
- Self-affirmation helps you excel in sports - May 26, 2011
- 'Maths for boys' stereotype develops in second grade - Mar 15, 2011
- Wine's role ambiguous in protecting heart - Jan 31, 2012
- No takers for women managers in athletics - Feb 10, 2011
- American action films still portray actresses as the weaker sex - Apr 22, 2010
- Tough girls remain heroes' sidekicks in Hollywood - Apr 22, 2010
Tags: alice eagly, analysis integration, challenges, co author, construal, cultural stereotypes, forms of prejudice, gender stereotypes, july 14, leadership roles, meta analysis, northwestern university, previous research, psychological bulletin, psychology, stereotype, substantial power, women leaders