The relationship between gender-role orientations and leadership styles

Hanžek, Ivana. (2017). The relationship between gender-role orientations and leadership styles. Diploma Thesis. Filozofski fakultet u Zagrebu, Department of Psychology. [mentor Maslić Seršić, Darja].

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Abstract

The present study examined the relationship between gender-role orientations and leadership styles. Precisely, the main objective was to determine whether and to what extent gender-roles can predict leadership styles as well as to examine differences between masculinity, femininity, androgyny and undifferentiated orientation considering initiating structure and consideration on an overall sample and subsamples of students and employees. 470 participants from Croatia participated in this study, of which 210 were employees and 270 were students from undergraduate and graduate programme. The Ohio State Leadership Behavior Description Questionnaire (LBDQ; Stogdill & Coons, 1957) and The Bem Sex-Role Inventory (BSRI; Bem, 1974) were used to assess leadership style and gender-role orientations. Generally, initiating structure style was predicted by masculinity, while femininity predicted consideration leadership style. Androgynous and masculine individuals have an equal tendency toward the initiating structure style, while masculine individuals, unlike feminine, tend to engage more in this style. On the other hand, feminine individuals engage more in behaviours regarding consideration leadership style and there are no differences between feminine and androgynous individuals. The results of this study have practical implications in the organizational context, especially in a selection process for leadership positions and the development of leaders and people who have a predisposition to become leaders.

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