Search results

1 – 10 of 689
Article
Publication date: 10 February 2012

Lori D. Paris and Diane L. Decker

Studies indicate that a managerial pro‐male bias still exists. While managers and females have begun to view women as possessing managerial attributes, male students, on average…

1853

Abstract

Purpose

Studies indicate that a managerial pro‐male bias still exists. While managers and females have begun to view women as possessing managerial attributes, male students, on average, still tend to stereotype the managerial role using a pro‐male bias. Based on research by Heilman and by Lord and Maher, the purpose of this paper is to propose that business students, who are exposed to a curriculum that emphasizes the importance of diversity, as recommended by AACSB, will exhibit fewer gender stereotypes.

Design/methodology/approach

Using the Schein Descriptive Index, three groups of university students were surveyed to determine whether individuals exposed to formal management education experience a reduction in “men as manager” stereotypes. The hypothesis was tested using interclass correlation coefficients (r′) from two randomized‐groups analysis of variance.

Findings

The hypothesis was not supported and the findings indicate that students in the business administration program stereotyped the managerial role to a greater degree than those not enrolled in the business administration program.

Research limitations/implications

Further studies should be conducted to determine if the findings of this particular study are universal across college campuses.

Practical implications

Business schools must evaluate the methods that are being used to teach diversity in management education.

Originality/value

The authors' unique approach focuses on the sample as an important element when studying gender bias in management. Given the state of the economy and the cuts to university programs, by determining where bias occurs, diversity education in the university environment can be better utilized for optimal impact.

Details

Gender in Management: An International Journal, vol. 27 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1754-2413

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 June 2010

Lize A.E. Booysen and Stella M. Nkomo

Although Schein's gender role management stereotype hypothesis has been examined in many countries around the world, no studies specifically examine the combined effects of race…

7386

Abstract

Purpose

Although Schein's gender role management stereotype hypothesis has been examined in many countries around the world, no studies specifically examine the combined effects of race and gender on this phenomenon. The purpose of this paper is to use an intersectional analysis to test the hypothesis among different race and gender groups in South Africa.

Design/methodology/approach

The 92‐item Schein descriptive index was randomly administered to 592 black men, white men, black women, and white women managers. The degree of resemblance between the descriptions of men and successful managers and between women and successful managers was determined by computing intra‐class correlation coefficients.

Findings

Results confirm the think manager, think male hypothesis for black and white men but not for black and white women. Black and white men are less likely to attribute successful managerial characteristics to women. The hypothesis is more robust among black men than among white men. For black women, the resemblance between the characteristics of women in general and successful managers is significantly higher than the resemblance of men in general and successful managers. This represents only the second study globally to report a reversal of the usual pattern. White women perceived men and women to equally possess the requisite management characteristics.

Practical implications

Intersectionality is capable of revealing the ways in which race and gender simultaneously influence perceptions of managerial characteristics.

Originality/value

The paper provides a race and gender intersectional analysis that compares the perceptions of the think manager – think male hypothesis in contrast to the dominant gender only analysis that may mask important differences in the stereotyping of managerial characteristics. It is also the first study of its kind in South Africa.

Details

Gender in Management: An International Journal, vol. 25 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1754-2413

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 March 2012

Abdel Moneim Elsaid and Eahab Elsaid

The purpose of this paper is to examine how men and women sex stereotype managerial positions and how they view women in managerial roles in Egypt and the USA, in order to provide…

3435

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine how men and women sex stereotype managerial positions and how they view women in managerial roles in Egypt and the USA, in order to provide meaningful cross‐cultural comparisons.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses surveys that utilize the Schein descriptive index and the women as managers scale (WAMS) to compare perceptions on women in managerial positions in Egypt and the USA. The sample consists of 553 Egyptian and 324 American management students.

Findings

The results show that in the Egyptian sample both males and females held negative views of women managers. However, in the US sample, women held more favourable views of women managers than did their male counterparts. In the Egyptian sample the English section female students had a more positive perception of female managers than their Arabic section counterparts.

Research limitations/implications

The sample is limited to management students in Egypt and the USA. The Middle East includes countries with different cultures, such as Israel. About 10 percent of Egypt's population are Christians who do not necessarily share the same cultural beliefs as the country's Muslim majority.

Practical implications

The paper helps donor countries better direct their aid programs when it comes to promoting gender equality and championing women's rights in the Middle East.

Originality/value

Our contribution was to study the perceptions of female leaders in Egypt, an Arab, Muslim, Middle Eastern country. The gender research on countries with conservative cultures, such as Egypt, is an area that remains mostly unexamined. Our study aims to provide researchers and practitioners with a better understanding of the position of Egyptian women in management.

Details

Gender in Management: An International Journal, vol. 27 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1754-2413

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 November 2002

Daniel A. Sauers, Jeffrey C. Kennedy and Deirdre O’Sullivan

The relationship between sex role stereotypes and the characteristics perceived necessary for managerial success was examined among 153 male and 165 female commerce students in…

2495

Abstract

The relationship between sex role stereotypes and the characteristics perceived necessary for managerial success was examined among 153 male and 165 female commerce students in New Zealand using the 92‐item Schein Descriptive Index. The results were compared with those from similar studies conducted in the USA, Great Britain, Canada, Germany, Japan, and the People’s Republic of China. Both male and female commerce students in New Zealand perceive successful middle managers as possessing the characteristics, attitudes and temperaments commonly ascribed to men in general and, to a lesser degree, women in general. Discriminant analysis was used to identify the specific attributes used by respondents to distinguish the stereotypes.

Details

Women in Management Review, vol. 17 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0964-9425

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 April 2021

Maria M. Clapham

This study compared characterizations of successful leaders held by students enrolled in a college level leadership education program to those of students who did not participate…

Abstract

This study compared characterizations of successful leaders held by students enrolled in a college level leadership education program to those of students who did not participate in the program. Participants consisted of students from the following groups: graduating seniors who completed the leadership program, students enrolled in the first course of the program, and students who never enrolled in leadership courses. Each participant rated a “successful leader” on descriptors from Duehr & Bono’s (2006) Revised Descriptive Index. Scoring of these descriptors resulted in five leadership dimensions: agentic, communal, task-oriented, relationship-oriented, and transformational. Analyses compared these dimension ratings across the three groups of participants. Results revealed that non-leadership students ascribed significantly higher levels of agentic and task-oriented characteristics to successful leaders than both beginning and graduating leadership students. Non-leadership students also ascribed significantly lower levels of communal characteristics to successful leaders than graduating leadership students. Results showed no significant differences between the three groups of students in relationship-oriented or transformational characteristics ascribed to successful leaders. These finding have implications for leadership education.

Details

Journal of Leadership Education, vol. 20 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1552-9045

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 29 March 2023

Elaine Berkery and Nuala F. Ryan

The purpose of this study is to investigate changing implicit leadership theories (ILTs) within a business student population over a ten-year period.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate changing implicit leadership theories (ILTs) within a business student population over a ten-year period.

Design/methodology/approach

Students from the same business student population rated men, women and managers in general, using Schein’s Descriptive Index, first during the academic year 2008–2009 and again in 2018–2019.

Findings

In Sample 1, the authors found multiple ILTs, male students gender typed the managerial role in favour of men, while female students held a more gender egalitarian view of the managerial role. In Sample 2, the authors found evidence that ILTs are starting to converge, as neither the male nor female sample gender typed the managerial role.

Practical implications

These results aid the understanding of the ILTs that these graduating professionals bring into their new full-time organisations.

Originality/value

The analysis of data from the same population using the same measurement at ten-year intervals, along with the findings that male students no longer gender type the managerial role in the most recent round of data collection, are original contributions to the literature.

Details

Gender in Management: An International Journal , vol. 38 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1754-2413

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 5 September 2023

Elaine Berkery and Nuala F. Ryan

Using Schein’s Descriptive Index (SDI), this paper aims to first examine gender role stereotypes and requisite managerial characteristics among Irish business students over a…

Abstract

Purpose

Using Schein’s Descriptive Index (SDI), this paper aims to first examine gender role stereotypes and requisite managerial characteristics among Irish business students over a 10-year period. Then, the paper investigates whether there have been changes in gender role stereotypes during this period and subsequently unpack the reasons behind any changes recorded.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 1,124 students from the same business student population rated men, women and managers in general, using SDI. Data was collected first during the academic year 2008–2009 and again in 2018–2019 to determine stability or change in gender role stereotypes and requisite managerial characteristics. Intraclass correlation coefficients scores were computed to determine the relationship between gender and requisite managerial characteristics and identify differences and similarities between the two samples. To explore the content of gender stereotypes, an examination of the specific descriptive items was conducted by performing a factorial analysis using Duncan’s Multiple Range Test. Finally, the authors adapted the scales developed by Duehr and Bono (2006) to determine whether broad gender stereotypic characteristics with respect to communal and agentic, attributed to men, women and managers, differ by sample.

Findings

The overall findings indicate changes in the extent of gender role stereotyping of the managerial role among the male cohorts studied. The subsequent analysis of the descriptive items identified that the change among the male cohort is due to the levels of agency they perceive women to now possess.

Research limitations/implications

The authors contribute to the literature on both gendered and managerial stereotypes by showing changes in the pro-male stereotype of the managerial role and contribute to the existing debate on a shift towards a more androgynous view of leadership.

Practical implications

These findings help understand the content of gender role stereotypes that recent graduates bring with them to their first job post-graduation. The observed changes in the level of agency ascribed to women by their male counterparts could prove to be an important step forward for women’s advancement to managerial positions.

Originality/value

The findings indicate that both male and female cohorts in Sample 2 perceived men and women in general to possess the same levels of communal and agentic traits as their managerial counterparts.

Details

Gender in Management: An International Journal , vol. 39 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1754-2413

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 November 2017

Verena Meyer, Silke Tegtmeier and Stefanie Pakura

Entrepreneurship is shaped by a male norm, which has been widely demonstrated in qualitative studies. The authors strive to complement these methods by a quantitative approach…

1773

Abstract

Purpose

Entrepreneurship is shaped by a male norm, which has been widely demonstrated in qualitative studies. The authors strive to complement these methods by a quantitative approach. First, gender role stereotypes were measured in entrepreneurship. Second, the explicit notions of participants were captured when they described entrepreneurs. Therefore, this paper aims to revisit gender role stereotypes among young adults.

Design/methodology/approach

To measure stereotyping, participants were asked to describe entrepreneurs in general and either women or men in general. The Schein Descriptive Index (SDI) for characterization was used. Following the procedures of Schein (1975), intra-class-correlation was calculated as a measure of congruence. This approach was complemented by controlling explicit notions, i.e. the image that participants had when describing entrepreneurs.

Findings

The images of men and entrepreneurs show a high and significant congruence (r = 0.803), mostly in those adjectives that are untypical for men and entrepreneurs. The congruence of women and entrepreneurs was low (r = 0.152) and insignificant. Contrary to the participants’ beliefs, their explicit notions did not have any effect on measures of congruence. However, young adults who knew business owners in their surroundings rated the congruence of women and entrepreneurs significantly higher (r = 0.272) than average.

Originality/value

This study is unique in combining “implicit” stereotypes and explicit notions. It demonstrates that gender stereotypes in entrepreneurship are powerful. The image of the entrepreneur remains male, independent of explicit notions. As young adults who knew business owners in their surroundings rated the congruence of women and entrepreneurs higher, this could be a starting point for education programmes.

Details

International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship, vol. 9 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-6266

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 June 1994

Frances Foster

The growth of women in management positions has largely been at juniorlevels. This has been particularly so within the education sector, wherethe growth in the number of women…

881

Abstract

The growth of women in management positions has largely been at junior levels. This has been particularly so within the education sector, where the growth in the number of women employed has had little impact on the proportion of women in senior positions. One explanation for the lack of women in senior management positions has been the male stereotyping of the manager role. Reports on a survey, using the Schein Descriptive Index, which was carried out among academics in 19 UK business schools or management departments of the new universities which showed different patterns of stereotyping from that found among managers in other organizations. Male academics at lower levels did not stereotype the manager role at all, but those in senior positions stereotyped the manager role as male. Among the female academics the results showed no association between the characteristics of successful managers and those of women in general, but some association between the characteristics of managers and men in general.

Details

Women in Management Review, vol. 9 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0964-9425

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 July 2013

Elaine Berkery, Michael Morley and Siobhan Tiernan

The aims of this study are threefold: to examine the relationship between gender role stereotypes and requisite managerial characteristics, to test Lord and Maher's…

7673

Abstract

Purpose

The aims of this study are threefold: to examine the relationship between gender role stereotypes and requisite managerial characteristics, to test Lord and Maher's recognition‐based processes to determine whether familiarity with women in leadership positions decreases the “think manager‐think male” stereotype and to examine the nature of the attributes used to describe men, women and managers.

Design/methodology/approach

Schein's Descriptive Index was used in this study. A total of 1,236 surveys were included in the study. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC, r1) were computed to determine the relationship between the different moderators and requisite managerial characteristics. Factorial analysis and agglomerative hierarchal cluster analysis were used to identify the traits attributed to men, women and managers.

Findings

Male respondents continue to gender type the managerial role in favour of men. Both males and managers continue to be viewed as agentic in nature while women are viewed in more androgynous terms by both male and female respondents.

Practical implications

This study expands our understanding of how males and females view women, men and managers. Based on the results of this study, the authors would argue that women are better equipped to adopt an androgynous leadership style and to practise transformational leadership.

Originality/value

This study looks beyond ICC scores and looks at how each of the traits is linked to men, women and managers. The findings are discussed in terms of how organisations need to look beyond the misfit between women and requisite managerial characteristics and focus on what females can contribute at board level and to management in general.

Details

Gender in Management: An International Journal, vol. 28 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1754-2413

Keywords

1 – 10 of 689