Gender stereotypes and professional inequalities between women and men
- Business Science Institute
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
Clotilde Coron*
University Professor in Management Sciences
Vice-President for Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion at Paris-Saclay University
Paris-Saclay University
*Member of the faculty of the DBA Paris-Saclay / Business Science Institute
Inequalities between men and women in the workplace remain high, with inequalities in access to employment, pay and careers, and a lack of gender diversity in the workplace... In all European countries, these inequalities persist and are slowly diminishing[1] . However, the legislative arsenal has never been lacking, with more and more legal obligations for companies in many countries, stemming among other things from European Union initiatives[2] . One explanation for this high level of inequality at work lies in the persistence of gender stereotypes.
Gender stereotypes are beliefs and representations about the behaviors, desires and wishes of women and men, with the idea that there are important and intrinsic differences between women and men[3] . They are partly conscious: for example, almost half of Europeans believe that "Having a job is fine, but what most women really want is a home and children", or that "In general, when a woman has a full-time job, family life suffers"[4] . However, people who do not declare conscious stereotypes may have stereotypes of which they are unaware, referred to as unconscious stereotypes, or unconscious biases[5] , which result in unconscious associations between a person's gender and their supposed characteristics (e.g. faults and qualities).
Much of the literature on gender stereotyping comes from psychology, while the literature on gender inequality in the workplace is to be found in management science and sociology. Yet the links between gender stereotypes and professional inequalities between men and women are numerous.
At a national level, public policies imbued with gender stereotypes are a major contributor to gender inequality. To give just one example, in the vast majority of European countries, the statutory duration of maternity leave is longer than that of paternity leave, which can be linked to stereotypes about the respective roles of mothers and fathers[6] . This unequal length of parental leave contributes to inequalities in the sharing of child-related domestic tasks, and ultimately in the time that women and men can devote to their work and careers.
At the organizational level, many work organizations operate with evaluation methods that may be biased by gender stereotypes. The same behavior may therefore not be evaluated in the same way, depending on the gender of the individual being evaluated. For example, studies have shown that a behavior corresponding to what is expected of a "leader" was evaluated less favorably when it was adopted by a woman[7] . In Europe, women in management positions are not perceived in the same way as their male peers, depending on the level of stereotyping in each country[8] .
Finally, at an individual level, gender stereotypes influence behavior and decision-making, including in relation to careers and work. Women tend to censor themselves when negotiating their careers (particularly with regard to salary and access to responsibilities), which can be partly explained by the persistence of gender stereotypes that confine women to the domestic sphere and men to the professional sphere.
Finally, combating gender stereotypes seems a necessity if we are to reduce inequalities in the workplace. These stereotypes take root and spread from an early age, via children's toys and books, but also more broadly through education (parents, schools, peers). This presupposes a substantial and undoubtedly long-term effort on the part of the various stakeholders, as well as committed and proactive public policies on the subject.
[1] See the website: https://eige.europa.eu/
[2] Chicha, M.-T. (2006). A comparative analysis of promoting pay equity: Models and impacts. ILO
Milner, S. (2019). Gender pay gap reporting regulations: Advancing gender equality policy in tough economic times. British Politics, 14(2), 121-140. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41293-018-00101-4
[3] Diekman, A. B., & Eagly, A. H. (2000). Stereotypes as Dynamic Constructs: Women and Men of the Past, Present, and Future. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 26(10), 1171-1188. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167200262001
[4] Coron, C. (2023). Stereotypes de genre et inégalités professionnelles entre femmes et hommes: Quelles responsabilités pour les organisations? Éditions EMS, management & société.
[5] Madsen, S. R., & Andrade, M. S. (2018). Unconscious Gender Bias: Implications for Women's Leadership Development. Journal of Leadership Studies, 12(1), 62-67. https://doi.org/10.1002/jls.21566
[6] Perrier, G., & Engeli, I. (2015). Chapter 14 / Why public policies all have something in them that is very gendered. In Une French touch dans l'analyse des politiques publiques? (pp. 349-376). Presses de Sciences Po. https://doi.org/10.3917/scpo.bouss.2015.01.0349
[7] Eagly, A. H., & Karau, S. J. (2002). Role congruity theory of prejudice toward female leaders. Psychological Review, 109(3), 573-598. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.109.3.573
[8] Coron, C. (2024). Questioning 'Feminine Managerial Behavior' - A European Study Considering Gender Ideology. M@n@gement. https://doi.org/10.37725/mgmt.2024.8864
