Employers Prefer Male Managerial Potential To Female-Proven Track Record -- New Study

A new study by undergraduate students Fatima Tresh, Dr Georgina Randsley de Moura and Abigail Player from the University of Kent has found that employers preferred men with leadership potential over women with a proven leadership track record. The study was funded by the 2014 BPS Undergraduate Research Assistantship Scheme.

The study found that male job applicants who were perceived by the employers as men who had potential leadership qualities were chosen over women who had a proven track record of exhibiting good leadership qualities. The press release issued by the University of Kent states that the scheme marks out a student as a future researcher and potential academic.

For the study, 98 participants were taken, of which 39 were women. There were made to take part in an online hiring simulation. Each participant was given four potential applicants for the role of a manager. The applications differed on the basis of gender and they all had varying leadership potential and leadership achievement.

The participants were supposed to evaluate the CVs on the basis of who they thought would suit the role. The press release states that the participants took into account the applicant’s leadership potential. They evaluated how successful they thought the applicant would be. It was seen that men who showed leadership potential were seen as successful and their CVs were found to be impressive. It was observed as well that the participants rated men with potential leadership tendencies higher than women who had a proven leadership record.

In addition, even between men with greater leadership potential and men who had shown good leadership performance, the former was chosen. In the case of the women, however, the study shows that performance was considered higher than potential among employers.

Player stated that the study is important while analysing the greater issue of gender equality in a workplace. “The findings provide initial evidence that women's leadership potential is not recognised by potential employers. This is a significant barrier to career progression and success for women," she said.

The study was presented at the British Psychological Society Annual Conference in Liverpool on May 6.

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