An exploration of unspoken bias: women who work for women
- 13 March 2009
- journal article
- Published by Emerald in Gender in Management: An International Journal
- Vol. 24 (2), 131-145
- https://doi.org/10.1108/17542410910938817
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to inquire whether gender plays a role in the supervisory preference of female workers, and to establish a starting-point in the identification of any bias that is discovered. Design/methodology/approach – A field experiment of 226 adults of both genders was used to test the hypotheses. It combined a video vignette with a survey that employed a dispositional index followed by attitudinal measures. Findings – Descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, and regression analyses were used to highlight the biases that were discovered. Females believed that other women are good managers, but the female workers did not actually want to work for them. The results may have some basis in females' perceptions of female managers as being high in dominance. The female manager was also seen as being emotional. More specifically, the female manager was seen as being more nervous and more aggressive than a male manager. It was also discovered that female preference for male supervisors increased with greater numbers of years in the workforce. Research limitations/implications – This is an exploratory study. Workers surveyed were enrolled in a large metropolitan US university. Subsequent studies need to include a broader sample, particularly including workers from earlier generations. Extensive additional research is essential. Originality/value – The findings lend credence to strong but seldom discussed anecdotal undercurrents of women's unwillingness to work for other women. Although female managers have been studied to a limited degree, there has been no empirical research on the female subordinate relationship. The study makes an entry into this important question of whether women have a prejudice against working for other women. The practitioner/policymaker implications are substantial.Keywords
This publication has 36 references indexed in Scilit:
- Method Variance in Organizational ResearchOrganizational Research Methods, 2006
- The underrepresentation of women in science: Differential commitment or the queen bee syndrome?British Journal of Social Psychology, 2004
- Hiring you makes me look bad: Social-identity based reversals of the ingroup favoritism effectOrganizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 2003
- Biases in appraisals of women leaders.Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 1997
- Using self‐report questionnaires in OB research: A comment on the use of a controversial methodJournal of Organizational Behavior, 1994
- Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: The PANAS scales.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1988
- Sex Differences in the Perception of Assertiveness Among Female ManagersThe Journal of Social Psychology, 1986
- The association between perceptions of daily experiences and self- and spouse-rated moodJournal of Research in Personality, 1981
- A circumplex model of affect.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1980
- Personality Research FormAmerican Educational Research Journal, 1969