Abstract
Understanding the role of leadership aspiration in the under‐representation of female leaders is important, because aspiration is a key predictor of hierarchical advancement. A neglected perspective in the relationship between gender and leadership aspiration is the gender of the individual's supervisor. Supervisors can play an important role in providing support and in engendering a sense of control, and both support and control are precursors to leadership aspiration. Yet, supervisors may also act on gender biases that discourage women's leadership aspiration. We argue that there is an interaction between supervisor and subordinate gender such that men experience relatively high levels of support and control regardless of supervisor gender, whereas women experience more support and control and as a result display higher leadership aspiration with a female supervisor. A survey of N = 402 men and women supported these hypotheses regarding the subordinate gender by supervisor gender interactive influence on leadership aspiration, support, control, and the mediated moderation model.
Highlights
Women account for 46 per cent of the workforce in the EU (European Commission, 2013)
Meticulously articulated in role congruity theory (Eagly & Karau, 2002), outlines how gender stereotypes and leader stereotypes converge to put women at a disadvantage compared to men when it comes to leadership advancement: leader stereotypes are gendered and emphasise stereotypically masculine over stereotypically feminine traits, resulting in gender biases in leadership perceptions and selection decisions, and disadvantageous work environments, employment practices, and compensation levels (Hoyt & Murphy, 2016; Yeagley, Subich, & Tokar, 2010)
In advancing Hypotheses 1–3, we argued that gender biases lead male supervisors, but not female supervisors, to behave in ways that create a work situation that is less encouraging of leadership aspiration for women
Summary
Women account for 46 per cent of the workforce in the EU (European Commission, 2013). There is evidence that this gender-biased reality may discourage leadership aspiration—personal interest in achieving a leadership position and the willingness to accept such a position (Singer, 1991)—among women (Hoobler, Lemnon, & Wayne, 2014; Konrad, Ritchie, Lieb, & Corrigall, 2000; Savery, 1990). Such gender differences in leadership aspiration are important because aspiration is a major predictor of career attainment (Schoon & Polek, 2011), occupational status (Schoon, Martin, & Ross, 2007), and hierarchical advancement (Tharenou, 2001). Gender differences in leadership aspiration may arguably exacerbate the problem of the under-representation of women in leadership positions
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