Female bosses judged more harshly than male counterparts for being insensitive, disrespectful

By Alex Fradera A woman seeking to make a career was once faced with a road pocked with pits and divots upon which she must not stumble. Rising egalitarian attitudes have done much to remove the most visible of these hazards, but some subtle pitfalls remain. In a new study in the Journal of Applied Psychology, Suzette Caleo of Louisiana State University explores one: the way that female managers are appraised when they treat others unjustly. The research suggests that while the sexes are treated even-handedly when they commit certain injustices, there are some things we still can’t abide from a woman. Caleo asked 140 undergraduates (two thirds women, majority White or Asian) to appraise a male or female manager based on feedback from the manager’s subordinates. Participants were shown high ratings of the manager’s work skills, and some brief accounts of memorable workplace episodes, which were either benign or included a description of an office overhaul where the manager reallocated workspaces in a way that many staff felt was unjust. For some participants, this injustice was in the form of the manager acting inconsistently throughout the process and relying too heavily on their own opinions. Participants understandably frowned on this, rating the manager’s overall job performance as lower and suggesting they were less deserving of rewards like a promotion or bonus. These managerial behaviours are the hallmark of “procedural injustice” – essentially...
Source: BPS RESEARCH DIGEST - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Gender Occupational Source Type: blogs