Sunday, July 17, 2011

People Don't Think Women Are Natural Leaders

Women trying to climb the corporate ladder and smash through the glass ceiling face two key challenges: Society doesn't think they are natural leaders, and doesn't like it when they act like they are. - livescience.com

That's the finding of a new meta-analysis (an integration of a large number of studies addressing the same question) that shows that even today leadership continues to be viewed as culturally masculine. The research was done at Northwestern University.

"Women are viewed as less qualified or natural in most leadership roles, the research shows, and secondly, when women adopt culturally masculine behaviors often required by these roles, they may be viewed as inappropriate or presumptuous," the researchers said.