Damsel at the Desk: Perceptions of Female Managers and Employees in the Workplace

Abstract

This research paper explores the following research question: how and when doesgender affect perceptions of leadership? The sample contained 313undergraduate students,comprised of both females and males, at one Ivy League university. Sociologicalconcepts relevant to the discussion of results include unconscious bias,homophily, mere exposure effect, and stereotype threat.Results reveal statistically significant differences between female and malerespondents’ assessments of female and male management for only some of thevariables examined in some contexts.