Women in Work Groups: Misperceptions and Missed Expectations.
Abstract
In this study, a modified version of the Bem Sex Role Inventory was administered to 190 working women and men who were instructed to describe themselves, how work group members think they actually are, and how work group members think they ought to be. No significant differences were found between the sexes in terms of self-reported, ascribed, or desired femininity or masculinity. From this it is concluded that stereotypic expectations for sex-typed behavior are not evident at the work group level. However, the discrepancies between self-reported and ascribed femininity and masculinity--the misperception indices--were significantly greater for males, who described themselves as both more feminine and more masculine than work group members perceive them. Males also showed a significantly greater discrepancy between self-reported and desired femininity, or femininity missed expectations index. Again, they described themselves as more feminine than work group members think is appropriate. Additional analysis revealed that supervisors find femininity less desirable than do co-workers. From this it is concluded that males may be subjected to greater pressure than women to conform to conventional sex roles, and that supervisors may be the primary source of this pressure. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 01, 1978
- Accession Number
- ADA062428
Entities
People
- J. David Johnson
- Kirsten Hinsdale