Gender diversity at work Flashcards
What are some positive (7) and negative stereotypes about men (10)?
Positive Traits:
- Independent
- Active
- Self-confident
- Makes decisions easily
- Never gives up easily
- Competitive
- Stands up under pressure
Negative Traits:
- Egotistical
- Hostile
- Cynical
- Servile
- Arrogant
- Greedy
- Feels superior
- Unprincipled
- Boastful
- Dictatorial
What are some positive (6) and negative stereotypes about women (7)?
Positive Traits:
- Gentle
- Helpful
- Emotional
- Warm to others
- Aware of others’ feelings
- Kind
Negative Traits:
- Subordinates self to others
- Spineless
- Gullible
- Whining
- Devoted to others
- Complaining
- Nagging
Source: Spence, Helmreich, and Holohan in Blaine (2013)
What are the two types of trait leadership theories? and what do they each believe? (2 & 1)
- Leadership Categorisation
- Implicit Leadership Theory
Leadership Categorisation Believes that:
- Image of the leader as stereotypically male
- Traits impact the way men and women are perceived as leaders (aligned to or counter to stereotype)
Implicit leadership theory believes:
1. Gender traits can affect access to leadership positions.
What are the three types of behavioural leadership theories and what do they each believe?
Types:
- Two-factor (task vs relationship)
- Transformational versus transactional leadership
- Leader–member exchange (LMX)
Two-factor (task vs relationship) Believes that:
1. Masculine gender-role traits are related to task focus.
2. Feminine gender-role traits related to relationship.
= Task focus -> leadership emergence
Relationship focus -> leadership effectiveness
Transformational versus transactional leadership believes that:
- Transformational Leadership is less effective for female leaders/ male follower relationships, because it counters the social roles
- Female leaders who used autocratic styles were rated more harshly than male leaders who did so.
Leader–member exchange (LMX) believes that:
1. LMX lower for female leader / male follower relationships
Source: Ayman and Korabik (2010)
When are women particularly likely to be devalued? (3)
Women leaders were particularly likely to be devalued when:
- They adopted stereotypically masculine leadership styles
- They were in male dominated leadership roles
- They were evaluated by men.
When were men (2) and respectively women more effective? (1)
Men:
- In male dominated situations
- In stereotypically masculine leadership roles
Women:
1. In more stereotypically feminine leadership roles.
What are the 8 distinctive factors of implicit leadership ?
- Sensitivity
- Dedication
- Tyranny
- Charisma
- Attractiveness
- Masculinity
- Intelligence
- Strength
Offmann, Kenedy and Wirtz (1994)
How is leadership prototypes formed? (4 sequence)
- When we think “Leader”, we think “Male”.
- > Leads to the assumption that women are not suited to these roles.
- > Women will have a higher risk of failing.
- > Employment decisions are likely to be unfavourable.
What does the Occupational Personality Questionnaire (OPQ) show? (4)
- Study of over 1 million individuals
- Found that only 1 in 15 people have the potential to be a senior leader
- Found no differences in leadership capability between men and women
- Women are disproportionately under- represented in leadership roles.
What are arguments supporting that it is not about the ability difference between men and women? (4)
- Recognition that there are few, if any, important differences between men and women that will affect their job performance.
- There are no consistent gender differences in problem-solving ability, analytical skills, competitive drive, motivation, sociability or learning agility.
- Psychological studies have found that women are more willing to conform and that men are more aggressive and more likely than women to have expectations of success.
- The only significant differences found were in motor performance (conflicting findings!!)
Define the gender construct?
- An idea that has been created and accepted by the people in a society (Webster dictionary)
What is the difference between sex and gender? (3)
- sex= is a biological difference
- Gender= social construct around sex
- Greater variance on physical, behavioural and cognitive factors WITHIN each sex than BETWEEN the two sexes
Explain Hakim’s 2006 preference theory! (4)
- The theory suggests that not all women wish to advance in their careers.
- suggests women fall into 3 camps:
- Home-centered (~20% of women)
- Adaptive (~60% of women)
- Work-centred (~20% of women)
- Predicts that men will retain their dominance in the labour market, politics and other competitive activities, because only a minority of women are prepared to prioritise work.
What does Walsh counter argue with his gender debate? (3)
Women in law firms study:
1. women with strong aspirations for advancement to partnership don’t shun the need for a balanced lifestyle
- Perceived constrained opportunities for promotion
- Key influence is the work-life culture of the firm and availability of flexible working
What counter argument does Lyness and Heilmann (2006) reveal in their Women in a Financial Services Organisation study? (2)
- Greater perceived lack of fit between stereotypical attributes of women and requirements of senior roles, makes entry and reqruitment harder.
- Promoted women have higher performance than promoted men