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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsNot very likable: here is how bias is affecting women leaders.
Including women like Amy Klobuchar, Hillary Clinton, Kamala Harris, Kirsten Gillibrand, Elizabeth Warren, etc.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/pragyaagarwaleurope/2018/10/23/not-very-likeable-here-is-how-bias-is-affecting-women-leaders/#1de7f3a0295f
Studies have shown that unconscious bias is rife in the workplace. Gender stereotypes, in particular, are everywhere. It is in the language that we use, and it is the way we perceive women in the workplace.
Female leaders, in particular, can be affected by a double-bind bias or the problem of a mismatch between what is expected of a leader, and what is expected from a woman. Psychology research has shown that there are two primary kinds of gender bias that affect women, called the descriptive and prescriptive bias. Descriptive bias is the labels we attach and associate with certain social groups and communities, and prescriptive bias is how they are expected to behave. And, when someone does not conform to these prescribed roles and behaviors they can be penalized or punished. Women, for instance, are traditionally expected to be caring, warm, deferential, emotional, sensitive, and so on, and men are expected to be assertive, rational, competent and objective. So, when it comes to promotion, these traits are sometimes automatically prescribed to people as per their gender without detailed information about their personalities, thereby a man, in general, is assumed to be a better fit as a leader.
The other side of this is prescriptive bias is when a woman does not fit the role that is traditionally assigned to her and attempts to claim a traditionally male position is seen as breaking the norm. So, when a woman is decisive, she might be perceived as "brusque" and "abrupt". Therefore, for the same kind of leadership behavior, women might be penalized while a man is commended.
This is the problem of "likability", where women who are not assertive and fit the gender stereotype of a woman as being gentle and caring are liked more but not considered as leadership material. On the other hand, women who display traditional "masculine" qualities such as assertiveness, forcefulness, and ambition are labeled as "bitchy", unfeminine and aggressive, and hence generally disliked. In both cases, women are then less likely to be promoted than a man. Men do not face the same problem, because what is considered "bossy" in a woman are considered leadership qualities in a man.
SNIP
democratisphere
(17,235 posts)ProudMNDemocrat
(16,784 posts)To Donald Trump and any man who kisses his fat, dimply orange ass any day.
Aussie105
(5,383 posts)I like politicians who are decisive, well spoken, clear headed, have a clear view of what they want the future to be, and have the best interests of the country at heart.
I like Ocasio-Cortez because of those qualities.
Same for Obama.
In my opinion, both were equally pleasant on the eyes. Their self confidence, their idealism, their dress sense, made them that way.
If you look at a female politician and all you see is a pretty or 'past it' face, then . . . sorry, you must live in a shallow world.
And yes, those 'objections' to female politicians/business leaders are trotted out quite often. It's just an attempt at gender stereotyping and saying some people don't fit the simplistic mould too well. Ignore the whole thing. People are individuals, not cookie cutter stamped clones of some gender stereotype.
pnwmom
(108,977 posts)there is a lot of research on the topic.
But most people, at least those with some experience of life, some education under their belt, and some insight into how things work, don't go in for stereotyping, or using rigid stereotyping to find fault with others.
After all, if you look at yourself, can you say what stereotype you fit into? And do you feel not fitting in perfectly with whatever stereotype you feel is appropriate, is solid grounds for criticism?
(And you would be right in being indignant at the idea that you should conform to a certain stereotype.)
Then there is always the logical fallacy:
That woman is emotional about something I think is a trivial matter. You are a woman, therefore you are prone to being emotional over little things.
Lots more possible examples, just ask.
Some research is done to prove a pre-conceived idea. Just saying.
As a woman, I know that is simply not true. The world is rife with people who, consciously or unconsciously, apply a completely different set of expectations and requirements for acceptability to women than they apply to men.
Most people, at least those with some experience of life, understand that stereotyping is rampant and is often unconscious. And if they do not understand it from their experience, as pwnmom said, there are reams of research that confirm it that they can use to educate themselves.
ismnotwasm
(41,976 posts)Plenty of receipts for that. Research that parses past this standard isnt what Id call biased.
jcgoldie
(11,631 posts)Saying that "people are individuals" or that those stereotypes don't affect how you personally view female candidates completely misses the sociological reality that the OP was addressing.
ProudMNDemocrat
(16,784 posts)Any woman asserting her independence, her strength, her ideas is "unlikeable". Why do men not come out and say what is really on their minds?
This should encourage MORE women to run for office. When women are in the majority in Congress and are Democrats, will change actually happen.
maddiemom
(5,106 posts)My personal favorite adjective for assertive women.
Squinch
(50,949 posts)thread this needle, but boy does she do it great!
ctw1
(26 posts)In the part about the resume, did the students rate likeability off of a resume?
ctw1
(26 posts)One of the few external links about unconscious bias is to a company trying to sell unconscious bias training.
riverwalker
(8,694 posts)I just need to trust her/him. I dont expect in my lifetime to ever love a president as much as I did Obama. I just want to sleep at night knowing my president loves the country and its people, has a desk cluttered with policy papers, a night stand full of books. Hires the best and brightest, respects professional opinions. I dont care if she/he sends crabby emails to staff, is too demanding of perfection, doesnt smile enough, is too ambitious, or believed grandmas stories about Cherokee blood. I just want to sleep at night knowing we are in good hands. 🙏