The effect of gender on the evaluation of a leader

This paper tests the effect of gender on the evaluation of a leader. It is assumed in the literature that females are differently evaluated based on their gender. Different feminine and masculine leadership styles are included to test for differences. Not only the effect of the gender of the leader, but also the effect of the gender of the evaluator is included. Furthermore, some supposedly gender related personality characteristics are included the test their importance. A questionnaire is distributed to gather data. There are three versions of the questionnaire, with the only difference that the gender of the leader is manipulated. Different analyses are performed to test the effect of gender on the evaluation of a leader. The results of this study show that not only the gender of the leader influences the evaluation of a leader, but also the gender of the evaluator. Besides this, no clear indications for lower evaluations of female leaders are found.

Autorentext

Suzanne Verhulp studied Business Studies at the University of Amsterdam and graduated in 2012. During her study she developed an interest in the effect of gender differences on the evaluation of a leader. This interest is visible in her thesis subject: The effect of gender on the evaluation of a leader and different leadership styles.