Power & Gender
Ethel Cantu
Associate Professor
UTB/TSC
Power
l
Control and/or
influence over the behavior of other(s)
l
Power Over
– Agentic/egoistic power
l Persuading others to do things for you
l
Power To
– Communal/prosocial power
l Furthering group goals
Power
l
Male
stereotype/gender role emphasizes agentic power
– Males taught to assume leadership roles, exert
dominance
l
Female
stereotype/gender role emphasizes communal power
– Females taught to place needs of others over their
own, exert collaboration
Power
l
Differential
socialization leads men and women to develop different power styles
– Men more concerned with competition & winning
– Women more concerned with relationships &
minimizing losses
l
When males &
females exhibit power styles associated with the other gender, they risk social
disapproval.
Power & Status
l
People with
higher status have more power & are seen as leaders
– Because of stereotyping……
l Men are
accepted as leaders
l Women find resistance to their leadership
– Successful women leaders have adopted agentic styles (male stereotype/gender role)
• Margaret Thatcher, Indira
Gandhi
Structural Power
l
Power in US is in
“white male club”
– Ideology of domination based on gender, race, class
& sexual orientation leads to inequality
l Deliberately excludes women & minorities
l Patriarchy & powerlessness of women prevail
Structural Power
l
Economic Power
– Men have more economic power in the family, in
society, in the economy
l Businesses run on values of competition & rational
– Women are over-represented at the lowest levels of
jobs & salaries
l Women are 2/3 of all minimum wage earners
l Women’s work is invisible & undervalued
– Only cash income counts as GDP
Structural Power
l
Political Power
– Leaders in US must be “tough”
l Dominant, masterful, macho, not a “wimp”
l Operate on aggressive, competitive values
– Women & minorities underrepresented at all levels
of political power
l Party hierarchies, elected officials, top-level posts
Power & Behavior
l
Behavior that
seems to be gender-based is often rooted in power
– Communication styles that are more assertive or
aggressive are associated with status & power
l Higher status/power gives orders, little concern for
others
l Lower status/power defers to more powerful, seeks
concession, cooperation
Fundamental Attribution Error
l
We commit the
fundamental attribution error when we allow stereotyping to “short cut” our
thinking about the reasons for the behavior of another person.
l
FAE: overestimate
personal traits & underestimate the situation
– We ignore the situational factors that place men in
positions of power & limit participation by women & minorities.
Situational Factors
l
Men experience a
“glass elevator”
l
Women &
minorities experience a “glass ceiling”
l
Major barriers to
participation:
– Motherhood & parenting
l Limited time & resources
– Educational & occupational background
l Fewer women & minorities in law & business
Situational Factors
l
Barriers to
participation:
– Societal attitudes & stereotypes
l Women & minorities perceived as inappropriate,
negatively evaluated
– Institutional procedures
l “good old boys” network
excludes women & minorities
Conclusion
l
Be aware of the
FAE.
l
Discard
stereotypical thinking.
l
Think deeply
about situational factors.
l
Be open to new,
creative possibilities.