When Women Do “Men’s Work”: Hybrid Femininity and Within-Gender Inequality in Job Search

Abstract

We introduce a novel theory of hybrid femininity, a mechanism by which women who engage in stereotypically masculine behaviors or activities gain status advantages relative to women without such experiences. We argue that external hiring managers evaluate women with career experiences in hypermasculine occupations more highly than women with career experiences in hyperfeminine occupations. This relative advantage is greatest when transitioning into a male-dominated occupation. Leveraging data from two online experiments (N = 3,003), we test and find strong support for our theory. External evaluators hiring for a male-dominated occupation award women candidates with hypermasculine occupational histories higher compensation than equally qualified women with hyperfeminine occupational histories. Evaluators also assess these “hybrid women” as more masculine, more competent, and better leaders than highly gender-congruent women candidates. These differences in perceived masculinity and status largely mediate the compensation award differences. A similar advantage for hybrid women is observed for job offers in a gender-neutral occupation. When moving into a female-dominated occupation, compensation differences are indistinguishable across women candidates, regardless of their gendered occupational backgrounds. Findings shed light on how gender inequality is maintained—even between women—through the privileging of masculinity over femininity, with important implications for labor markets and society at large.