Women “Take Care,” Men “Take Charge”: Managers' Stereotypic Perceptions of Women and Men Leaders

Abstract

This study explored possible underpinnings of findings from earlier research in which women's overall leadership competence was less favorably evaluated than men's. The authors examined perceptions held by senior managers, 34% of whom were CEOs, of women's and men's effectiveness at 10 key leadership behaviors. Respondents generally perceived that women were more effective than men at care-taking leader behaviors; and that men were more effective than women at action-oriented, “take-charge” leader behaviors. Notably, male respondents perceived that the behavior at which men leaders most outperformed women was problem-solving. The authors propose that this perception could potentially undermine the influence of women leaders.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Appreciation is extended to Dr. Madeline Heilman, New York University, for her insightful comments throughout the project.

Notes

¹A majority of manager respondents in Martell and DeSmet's (2001) research were middle managers or lower.

²Complete details about methodology, analyses techniques, and findings of the post hoc study are available from the authors.