Negative self-bias taints female managers' self-rating, finds study.
Female leaders underrate how their bosses and colleagues perceive their performance, find US researchers (R. E. Sturm et al. J. Org. Behav. 35, 657–677; 2014). In a two-part report examining responses from 270 women across sectors including health services and banking, the authors find that lack of self-confidence, perception of gender roles and a lack of direct feedback from superiors contributed to women's self-underrating. Female managers also rate their own performances lower than do male leaders, the team found. Women in leadership positions must become aware of any negative self-biases, says co-author Leanne Atwater, a management researcher at the University of Houston in Texas. “If you're unsure of your boss's feelings about your work, get feedback and don't make assumptions,” she says.
Related links
Related links
Related links in Nature Research
Inequality quantified: Mind the gender gap
Rekindling the gender-bias debate
Nature news blogpost on discrimination suit
Nature Spoonful of Medicine blogpost on US National Science Foundation grant
Related external links
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Gender: Perception differences. Nature 511, 115 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nj7507-115a
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nj7507-115a