The Influence of Sexual Orientation on Academic Self-Concept as a Mediator of Gender and Leadership

Abstract

Previous research on the influences of bother gender and sexual orientation on leadership effectiveness have been mixed, with some studies finding that women and/or sexual minorities as more effective leaders than men and/or heterosexuals, and some studies finding the opposite or no differences at all. Additionally, although attitudes have recently been changing, biases in people’s perceptions about leaders (e.g., that the image of a leader is associated with masculinity and heterosexuality) persist. We believe that this inconsistency may be explained, in part, by the social identity theory of leadership (Hogg, 2001). In this study, we seek to contribute to a more complete understanding of these conflicting findings by proposing and testing an innovative model that integrates different research streams on gender, sexual orientation, academic self-concept, and self-perceptions of leadership. Specifically, we propose that academic self-concept underlies the relationship between gender, sexual orientation, and self-perceptions of leadership. In a sample of 964 undergraduate students, we found that academic self-concept mediated the relationship between gender and leadership for all subjects and for self-reported heterosexual subjects, but not for self-reported non-heterosexual subjects. These findings contribute to a more complete understanding of college students’ perceptions of their academic self-concept and leadership. In addition, they offer key insights for interventions aimed at closing the gender and sexual orientation gaps in self-perceptions of leadership and academic self-concept. We explore the theoretical and practical implications of our findings.