Military Leadership Evaluations: Effects of Sex, Leadership Style and Gender-Role Attitudes

Abstract

Abstract : Despite a recent increase in women holding leadership or managerial positions, women are still underrepresented in the highest levels of the military and business. On potential reason for this disparity might concern factors in leadership evaluation. In this study, the relationships among officer sex, leader sex, officer gender-role attitudes leadership style and military leadership evaluations were examined with data collected from 108 male and 58 female United States Air Force Field Grade Officers. These officers evaluated the leadership performance of a military leader described in one of four vignettes. These descriptions portrayed either a male or female leader displaying done of two leadership styles, autocratic or democratic. In addition, officers completed measures assessing their gender-role attitudes toward the roles of men and women in society. For male officers, traditional views of women in society were significantly related to traditional views of men in society. Also, male officers reported significantly more traditional gender-role attitudes than female officers concerning men needing status, men not engaging in feminine activities and attitudes toward the role of women in society. With regards to leadership evaluations, male leaders who displayed a democratic leadership style tended to be rated significantly higher in leadership evaluations than autocratic male leaders. As for female leaders, the more non-traditionally the female officer though about the roles of men and women in society, except for the belief that men need status, the significantly higher the ratings given to women occupying a leadership position.