ACADEM
VRIJE UNIVER
THE IMPACT OF
GENDER ROLES ON
FEMALE LEADERS
AND THEIR
PERFORMANCE
Damini Bissumbhar – 2739680
Pieter de Wit
20-10-2021
, 1
Introduction
According to the World Economic Forum (2020) the percentage of women in leadership
positions has grown since 2015. However, the number of female leaders compared to their
male counterparts is still too little and women remain underrepresented in executive positions
(Hoyt & Murphy, 2016). Even though women possess the qualities needed for 21st century
leaders, why is it that they are still trapped underneath glass ceilings? A major reason is
because of gender stereotypes (Budworth & Mann, 2010; Eagly et al., 2003; Krome, 2021;
Sinclair, 1995). These centuries old stereotypes are still relevant today and still affect women
in leadership roles (Ilie & Schnurr, 2017).
There have been many studies aiming to find explanations about what causes the small
number of women in top-level positions. A study conducted by Brescoll (2016) showed that
the gender stereotypes of emotion leads to the belief that women are less qualified for leading
positions than men. This study found that the belief that women are more emotional and
caring than men makes them unfit to be a good leader, as leaders are often associated with
being aggressive and dominant. Another study executed by Baumgartner and Schneider
(2010) looked at what role the ‘glass ceiling’ plays in the underrepresentation of women in
high-ranking positions. Baumgartner et al. (2010) has defined the glass ceiling as the
following: “…an artificial barrier that prevents qualified individuals from advancing upward
in their organization into high-ranking positions.” (Baumgartner et al., 2010, pp. 560). Lastly,
a study by Snaebjornsson et al. (2015) observed how gendered expectations affect a leader,
from the followers’ point of view. Although there have been a lot of studies researching how
gender stereotypes and expectations affect female leaders and their performances, insufficient
attention has been paid to what extent gender roles affect women in leading positions and
their leadership style, creating a gap in research.
This paper aims to analyze how gender roles have impacted women leaders and their
performances at present, using the role congruity theory. This will be investigated based on
the following research question: To what extent do gender roles impact female leaders and
their performance? First, the theoretical background of the role congruity theory will be
provided, along with the corresponding theoretical constructs, their definitions, and their
relationship with the role congruity theory. Second, two hypotheses supported by empirical
studies will be presented. Lastly, I provide a research model describing the relationship
between the three theoretical constructs.
VRIJE UNIVER
THE IMPACT OF
GENDER ROLES ON
FEMALE LEADERS
AND THEIR
PERFORMANCE
Damini Bissumbhar – 2739680
Pieter de Wit
20-10-2021
, 1
Introduction
According to the World Economic Forum (2020) the percentage of women in leadership
positions has grown since 2015. However, the number of female leaders compared to their
male counterparts is still too little and women remain underrepresented in executive positions
(Hoyt & Murphy, 2016). Even though women possess the qualities needed for 21st century
leaders, why is it that they are still trapped underneath glass ceilings? A major reason is
because of gender stereotypes (Budworth & Mann, 2010; Eagly et al., 2003; Krome, 2021;
Sinclair, 1995). These centuries old stereotypes are still relevant today and still affect women
in leadership roles (Ilie & Schnurr, 2017).
There have been many studies aiming to find explanations about what causes the small
number of women in top-level positions. A study conducted by Brescoll (2016) showed that
the gender stereotypes of emotion leads to the belief that women are less qualified for leading
positions than men. This study found that the belief that women are more emotional and
caring than men makes them unfit to be a good leader, as leaders are often associated with
being aggressive and dominant. Another study executed by Baumgartner and Schneider
(2010) looked at what role the ‘glass ceiling’ plays in the underrepresentation of women in
high-ranking positions. Baumgartner et al. (2010) has defined the glass ceiling as the
following: “…an artificial barrier that prevents qualified individuals from advancing upward
in their organization into high-ranking positions.” (Baumgartner et al., 2010, pp. 560). Lastly,
a study by Snaebjornsson et al. (2015) observed how gendered expectations affect a leader,
from the followers’ point of view. Although there have been a lot of studies researching how
gender stereotypes and expectations affect female leaders and their performances, insufficient
attention has been paid to what extent gender roles affect women in leading positions and
their leadership style, creating a gap in research.
This paper aims to analyze how gender roles have impacted women leaders and their
performances at present, using the role congruity theory. This will be investigated based on
the following research question: To what extent do gender roles impact female leaders and
their performance? First, the theoretical background of the role congruity theory will be
provided, along with the corresponding theoretical constructs, their definitions, and their
relationship with the role congruity theory. Second, two hypotheses supported by empirical
studies will be presented. Lastly, I provide a research model describing the relationship
between the three theoretical constructs.
