Perceived low female agency forces women to disconfirm stereotypes to obtain leadership roles

Evidence

The socioeconomic implications of this discrepancy were immediately clear to gender researchers. Gutek (1985) argued that the tendency for gender-based expectations to influence work roles (termed “sex-role spillover”) was costly for women. For example, female supervisors are expected to be more nurturant and sympathetic than men in the same positions, which may undermine their authority. Heilman’s (1983) “lack of fit” hypothesis argued that women were not considered to be suitable managers because they were perceived as insufficiently agentic. As a consequence, for women to gain entry into male-dominated positions, it was necessary for them to disconfirm gender stereotypes – in short, to act more like men. In fact, unless a woman provides evidence that she is not a “typical” female, she may not be seriously considered as a candidate for jobs that require leadership skills (Glick, Zion, & Nelson, 1988; Rudman & Glick, 1999). — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 753

Categorization

• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 753