Extent of exposure and satisfaction with exposure as predictors of attitudes towards women as managers

Abstract

Several organizations appear to discriminate against women. This discrimination is commonly traced to the stereotypic attitudes of male managers toward women as managers. Reducing discrimination, therefore, requires changing these attitudes. Researchers on women in management broadly suggest two approaches to change these attitudes. One approach places the responsibility for bringing about this change on the women themselves. Women are exhorted to perform well and satisfy the task-related expectations of men during exposures to them. The assumption here is that if male managers are satisfied with exposures to women, they would develop more positive attitudes toward them as managers. This study examines this assumption. The other approach 'places the onus of changing these attitudes on the organization. Organizations are exhorted to change their structures so that male managers are exposed to more women. It is assumed that greater exposure to women would be associated with more positive attitudes toward than as managers. This study examines this assumption also. Method. The extent of exposure, the satisfaction with exposure, and attitudes were measured using questionnaires. Responses were obtained from 101 male managers from six nationalized banks. Product-lament correlations between exposure and attitudes were computed. Results. The results of this analysis indicate that (a) fie extent of exposure to women managers did not significantly correlate with attitudes toward women as managers, and (b) satisfaction was significantly positively correlated with attitudes. In discussions, some of the participants drew on their experiences with women clerks to make evaluations about women on several counts. In other words, they were generalizing their experiences with one category of women in the form of attitudes toward another category of women. A second study was conducted to systematically examine whether such a generalization does occur. The method and respondent sample of the second study were similar to those of the first. Results. The results of the second study were as follows: (a) the extent of exposure to women managers and women clerks did not correlate with attitudes toward women as managers; and (b) the satisfaction with exposure to women managers and women clerks positively correlated with attitudes, though the latter relationship was weak. The taro studies assured that satisfaction with exposure arises when women meet the performance expectations of male managers on task matters. To examine this assumption, ten male managers from four nationalized banks were interviewed. Their responses suggested that male managers held several expectations of women employees. These broadly pertained to (a) the successful accomplishment of the task and (b) how the task should be accomplished. Exposures were satisfactory when women met both these expectations. Exposures were unsatisfactory when women did not meet either of these expectations. Implications. The findings of the study imply that (a) Merely increasing the representation of women is not likely to reduce discrimination: (b) To reduce discrimination. Women have to strive to meet the expectations of male managers and (c) Male managers have to communicate their expectations to women managers and also let them know how well they meet these expectations. But these implications also raise some questions. Should women meet all the expectations of men? what if expectations conflict with each other?