Publication Date

12-1-1998

Degree Program

Department of Psychology

Degree Type

Master of Art

Abstract

Despite the passage of The Civil Rights Act of 1964, women employed by an organization generally remain in the entry level positions, while their male counterparts are promoted throughout the organization's hierarchy. Although there are many theories that attempt to explain the reasons for this disparity between men and women in the workforce, one of the popular attributions is sexism. In this study, the investigator applied the theoretical framework of Modern Sexism to examine modern sexist attitudes toward female supervisors. Three hundred and twenty-two undergraduate students were asked to fill out several sexism measures and to evaluate vignettes of male and female managers exhibiting four different leadership styles. High scores on the sexism measures were related to lower evaluations for female managers when the rater was male, and the manager exhibited a consideration style of leadership. The findings in this study add to the understanding of sexism as it exists today, specifically toward female supervisors in the work setting.

Disciplines

Industrial and Organizational Psychology | Psychology

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