The Evolving Manager Stereotype: Do More Women Managers Make For Less Stereotypes?

A study in an upcoming issue of Psychology of Women Quarterly (PWQ) looks at how men and women leaders are evaluated differently based on the the gender-typing of the industry in which they work.  The results show that expectations are higher for team performance when led by a someone of the same gender as the gender typing of that industry.  However, the expectations for the leader do not change regardless of gender in relation to the industry.

From these results, the journal implies that as more women enter leadership roles, stereotypes will fail.  The press release asserts:

as more women move into management positions within a handful of industries, these industries are becoming more gender-neutral and stereotypes of leaders as men may be changing. . . The study shows that as more women assume leadership roles in the workforce, the management stereotype will in turn evolve, resulting in changes in the relative expectations for performance by men and women in management positions. The notion that male leaders will outperform women leaders is no longer applicable in all situations since this is largely linked to the current gender typing environment at a given firm.

But is it a stretch to say that more women managers in putatively female based careers such as teaching or nursing makes those professions gender neutral?  Wouldn't gender neutrality result from the addition of male leaders in those fields? 

Perhaps the more appropriate conclusion is that as the definition of gender typed industries expand, more women will be accepted as leaders. What do you think?

Comments

[Diane Danielson/CEO, Downtown Women's Club]

While it is going to be tough to change traditional "gender-typing of industries," I think we might be moving in that direction for a couple of reasons:

1. TV. A few years ago I did an article about how in all the crime shows, women were depicted as more highly ranked and/or equal to the men than in the real world. This was helping to change the public perception. Other shows at the time were depicting female presidents/high ranking in the political spectrum (Commander in Chief/West Wing) also help. The same goes for race: A president of mixed-race is not quite as shocking for any kid who has seen Danny Glover or Morgan Freeman portray a president in the movies.

2. This economy is also helping to hasten the change in the role of breadwinners. It's no longer strange for my child to see Dads volunteering in schools, and I'm sure we'll be seeing more men going into ANY field that is hiring, no matter the gender-typing.