Gender-typing of leadership: Evaluations of real and ideal managers

This research investigates the persistence of gender-typing in managerial roles within Spain, a country where women remain significantly underrepresented in top executive positions. The authors examine two primary questions: first, whether managerial success is still perceived as inherently masculine (the 'think manager-think male' stereotype), and second, whether subordinates exhibit same-gender bias when evaluating the leadership styles and effectiveness of their actual supervisors.

The researchers conducted two distinct studies. The first study surveyed 195 Spanish workers to determine the importance of masculine and feminine traits for successful middle management, using three conditions: male managers, female managers, and managers in general. The second study surveyed 605 subordinates to evaluate the behavior of their actual supervisors using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ), which measures transformational, transactional, and passive/avoidant leadership styles, as well as outcomes like effectiveness and extra effort.

The results confirm that the 'think manager-think male' stereotype remains prevalent in Spain. Contrary to expectations from some international literature, female participants in this study held this masculine view of leadership even more strongly than their male counterparts. However, the study also identified a 'gender solidarity' effect: female subordinates consistently rated female supervisors more favorably than male supervisors on key metrics, including transformational leadership, effectiveness, and extra effort. These findings suggest that while gender stereotypes continue to create barriers for women, the presence of female leaders may foster positive in-group evaluations among female employees.

These findings highlight the ongoing challenge of gender inequality in management. The persistence of masculine stereotypes suggests that women face a 'lack-of-fit' prejudice, where they are expected to demonstrate both masculine traits to be seen as leaders and feminine traits to avoid violating gender norms. The authors argue that organizations must implement structural changes to value feminine leadership qualities and increase the representation of women on selection committees to mitigate these biases.