This file was prepared for electronic distribution by the inforM staff. Questions or comments should be directed to inform-editor@umail.umd.edu. STEREOTYPES, EXPECTATIONS, AND PERCEPTIONS While men and women apparently have a common impression of the disadvantages of being excluded from informal work relationships, men and women do not always share the same perception of dynamics operating in the work environment. During the focus group discussions, many women reported their beliefs about how they are perceived at work. Many women think that certain stereotypes, attitudes, and expectations operate to make it more difficult for them to do their jobs. If their observations are correct, it is possible that these attitudes toward women can work as subtle barriers which limit recognition of their abilities and potential and their effectiveness on the job. Even if these observations are not correct, they can have an impact on the women who hold them, and thus indirectly affect their morale and their confidence in their ability to succeed. Holding Women To Higher Standards One of the most commonly held beliefs by women is that they must jump over higher hurdles in proving their ability than their male peers. The following statement made by a woman senior executive during a focus group conveys this impression: I still think that women have to prove through their dealing with people that they are competent and reliable. With men, I think, it is assumed [they are competent] and they have to prove they are not. On the survey, we asked men and women to express the extent to which they thought that managers in their organizations believe that women are incompetent until they prove themselves competent. Thirty-four percent of women and 7 percent of men thought that this was tr e to some or a great extent. When we asked survey participants for their opinion on the same issue with regard to men, only 5 percent of women and 8 percent of men thought men were presumed incompetent to some or a great extent. Similarly, many women also believe that they are held to a higher standard of performance than men and that an error made by a woman receives much more notice than would the same error made by a man. The following comment by a focus group participant represents this perception: You're allowed fewer mistakes if you're a woman. You can only blow it once. You don't get to blow it again and again the way men do so you must constantly weigh every step. Related to this perception is the belief held by many women in high level jobs that they are viewed by their male peers as having advanced because they are women rather than because of their qualifications. There was unanimous agreement in one focus group of women when one participant made the following comment: When I was hired, I was the first woman. They were looking for a woman and they hired me. So when you get to that situation, you are perceived differently because you're immediately discounted [because they think] that the only reason you got there is because you are a woman. If a woman lacks the full respect of her peers and subordinates, or even thinks she lacks that respect, it can make her job much more difficult, and place limits on her effectiveness. To try to assess how much justification there may be for a perception of lack of respect we asked survey participants to indicate their level of agreement or disagreement with the following statement "In general in my organization women have been placed in positions beyond their level of competence because of affirmative employment programs." Nearly half of men (41 percent) and one-fifth (20 percent) of women agreed with the statement. That so many employees believe that women are not competent to hold their positions is evidence that there is some justification for the perception by many women that they are not fully respected. Another barrier reported over and over by women, both inside and outside of the Government, is a phenomenon that occurs at meetings. Specifically, women believe that points they raise in meetings are often discounted or even ignored. A female focus group participant made the following observation: It doesn't happen to me as much anymore, but I've seen it happen to other women in my organization. They can sit around the table and then say something and nobody comments on [what they say] and then, a minute later, some man will say exactly the same thing and everyone will say, that's a great idea. This is a perception on the part of many women which men don't necessarily accept. A male focus group participant offered this explanation: I can't think of a man around this table who hasn't had an idea picked up by someone else at the table and fed back and adopted. That's just part of the game and, in fact, there's a little management trick** where you try to tempt your supervisor into doing exactly that so that your supervisor will do what you want to do. You basically make it their idea.*** I can't picture a GS 14 or 15 or SES woman who wouldn't speak up at a meeting at least in the Civil Service.*** It goes with the job and they can't hold back. If they hold back, they won't be GS 14's or 15's or SES'ers. We were interested in knowing the extent to which these kinds of perceptions about the respect women receive at work are held by women and men Governmentwide at the GS 9-15 and senior executive levels. Therefore, we included several statements in our survey that we asked participants to agree or disagree with. Figure 8 shows the percentage of men and women agreeing with each statement. As is apparent, in each case there is at least a substantial minority of women who share the observations of the female focus group participants quoted above. While some men agree with the women, for the most part, they have a very different view of these workplace interactions. Limits on Career Choices Many women also believe they are encouraged by mentors and supervisors to stay in staff positions rather than move to line positions. Then, when they apply for promotions they are not as competitive as men who have line experience. Studies of employment practices of men and women in the private sector, including the Department of Labor's glass ceiling study, have found that women are more often found in staff positions. One focus group participant said the following: Women are programmed into staff positions because it's assumed those are more nurturing kinds of position, and more suitable for women and they're directed away from the line positions. Then they get to a certain point in their careers where they need line experience in order to move up, they look back, and find they don't have that experience because they had been programmed into these staff positions. Survey responses indicate that 25 percent of women (and 9 percent of men) believe that managers expect women to be better suited to staff positions to at least some extent, and about 22 percent of men and women do not know if managers believe this or not. While just over half of women surveyed do not perceive these limited managerial expectations of their career potential, the 25 percent who do believe they face such constraints is a significant minority whose views deserve consideration. How Important Are Perceptions? Research has shown that men and women often see the world through different lenses; i.e., they have different expectations and interpretations of circumstances and events.[22] We don't know the extent to which women's perceptions, as reported in this section, stem from real differences in the way they are treated by colleagues and the extent to which they result from differing orientations that men and women bring to the workplace. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Figure 8: Perceptions of Female and Male Survey Respondents Percent who agree Women Men In general, in my organization . . . A woman must perform better than a man to be promoted. 55 9 Standards are higher for women than men. 45 9 The viewpoint of a woman is often not heard at a meeting until it is repeated by a man. 41 6 Women and men are respected equally. 30 51 ----------------------------------------------------------------- For a number of reasons, women's perceptions as to how they are regarded at work should be taken seriously. First, a number of studies have shown that stereotyping is a real phenomenon which acts as a barrier to women at work.[23] Research has shown that jobs are commonly sex-typed as male or female, depending on which sex has traditionally dominated the job. If a woman assumes a job which is thought of as requiring male attributes, she is often expected to fail both by herself and others. Second, this kind of stereotyping is magnified in a situation where a particular group, in this case women, is in the minority. Studies have shown that women are judged to be even less qualified and have less potential when they are few in number. They are more visible, and so are their mistakes. When women are recognized for their work when they are in the minority, the recognition is more likely to be attributed to their gender than to their own accomplishments. When many women are present in a given situation, the diversity among them is much more likely to be obvious.[24] Finally, we do know that women have been less successful at moving into senior levels than men, and that not all of the limitations on their success can be explained by demographic factors such as education, length of service, and mobility. To the extent that women are aware of the constraints they are facing, their productivity, confidence, and likelihood of applying for promotions may be diminished. While some women see these constraints as a challenge to be overcome, many more women want to avoid putting themselves in a position where their mistakes rather than their accomplishments may be recognized, and where the expectation is that they will fail. What is most important is the effect these perceptions and ostensible stereotypes have on women's effectiveness on the job and their job satisfaction. One senior executive focus group participant observed that although he did not believe women operated within such constraints, "It doesn't matter, the perception is there. You've got a fundamentally unhappy employee who feels that she is limited." Because of such effects, managers should look for expressions of unsupportable attitudes and stereotypes that may serve to constrain women, and work to curtail these beliefs. Also, managers should examine their own practices and ensure that they themselves are giving women, as well as men, assignments which will highlight their abilities, rather than reinforce stereotypes (an example of the latter being to always assign a woman responsibility for the office Christmas party). Managers should be aware that appointing one woman to an all-male task force may strengthen stereotypes, while appointing several women can help to weaken stereotypes and help women to feel less isolated. But managers should also be aware that even if stereotypes and constraints are not operating, women may believe they are. As these perceptions can be just as damaging, managers should address the perceptions as well.