Women in leadership roles often feel limited in their positions of power because of pressure from societal gender norms to appear more docile than men, according to a new study led by Szu-Han “Joanna” Lin, the W. Richard and Emily Acree Professor of Management at the University of Georgia.
Across four studies, Dr. Lin and her co-authors found women bosses often felt expected to present a nurturing attitude, prioritizing employee well-being over productivity. Because of this pressure to align with societal gender norms, women bosses reported feeling they cannot be as direct as their male counterparts when giving feedback to their employees due to concerns they would be perceived as rude or demanding. Furthermore, when these women deviated from gender norms in the workplace, they reported feeling incompetent or anxious. As a result, women who engaged in more assertive behaviors were more likely to be overwhelmed by their workload and more withdrawn as a whole.
In comparison, these same trends did not apply to male bosses. Regardless of if they focused on employee well-being or on giving stern directives, men in the study did not experience any stress regarding their own behavior and expectations.
For women leaders, Dr. Lin found support from employees had a positive effect on women’s confidence. When women felt their employees valued their contributions and showed concern for their well-being, they felt less depleted.
“Women are expected to have to behave in a pliant way, so for female leaders, we found it’s more difficult for them to engage in instruction, to set expectations, and to tell others what they need to do because of these stereotypes,” said Dr. Lin. “If we don’t fix this, there will be fewer women leaders and less effective workplaces.”
The study’s co-authors included scholars from the University of Georgia, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, National Sun Yat-sen University in Taiwan, and Michigan State University.