Naisten johtamisuriin kohdistuvat stereotypiat

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyze existing research on stereotypes that affect women’s management careers. The research method is content analysis and the period of analysis is 1976−2013. The results of this research suggest that women executives are subjected to stereotypical beliefs, according to which women lack various specific and necessary attributes of leadership. Another stereotype is the belief that people have to manage on their own. A third stereotype holds that female leaders are superior to male leaders. From a historical perspective, the stereotypical assumption that women lack appropriate attributes has been dominant during the period of analysis. The stereotype regarding women’s superiority has gained ground since the end of the 1990s, while the amount of research on stereotypes in general has increased since the beginning of the 2000s. Our analysis suggests that the stereotypes of women leaders have various consequences on both women and organizations.