examination of gender-related attitudes among managers

This two-part study included two procedures: (1) the development of an instrument to assess gender-related attitudes among male and female managers, and (2) the collection and analysis of data on gender-related attitudes among male and female managers. Male and female managers (n = 165) responded on a Likert scale to 30 gender-related statements about male and female managers from their own perspective and then based on their opinions of how other male and female managers might respond to the statements. The topic addresses the undercurrents of conflict and dissension that are accompanying paradigmatic changes in traditional management practices and the integration of women into all aspects of management. Although women have demonstrated managerial capability in the workplace, the existence of gender differences warrants further investigation into gender factors influencing co-managing. An extensive review of the literature relating the changes in gender studies over the past 30 years is included. Statistical treatment of the data included the use of paired t-tests, independent samples t-tests or ANOVAs for 20 hypotheses. Through the hypotheses, male and female managers' perspectives on 30 gender-related statements were explored. In addition, male and female managers' responses were compared across different levels of specific demographic data. Ten of the hypotheses showed statistical significance at p <.05. For the gender-related statements, male and female managers rated female managers more positively than males; male and female managers each rated their own gender more positively than did the opposite gender. Male managers rated female peers more positively and other males less positively than they perceived other male managers would; they rated female managers less positively and male managers more positively than they perceived female peers would. Female managers rated their own gender more positively than they perceived males would and rated male peers less positively than they perceived other females would; their own ratings of females were similar to their perceptions of the ratings of other females. When the managers' mean responses for the gender-related statements were compared across different levels of demographic data, no significant relationships were found with level of management, size of company, training experiences, and female managers' preferences for working with male or female managers. However, male managers who stated a preference for working with male managers rated the statements about male managers more positively than did those who had no gender preference. In addition, male managers who stated no preference for the gender of peer managers rated statements about female managers more positively than those who stated a preference for working with male managers.