Gender and leadership in organizations: toward a theoretical integration

Date

1979-08

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Publisher

Texas Tech University

Abstract

Despite the emergence of the psychology of women Denmark, 1977), relatively few firm conclusions have been reached regarding females in positions of organizational leadership. Recent legislation and increased public awareness have provided the impetus for an increase in the number of women holding positions of executive responsibility (Jacobson & Koch, 1977). The psychological and management literature focusing on female leadership, however, is generally amorphous and often contradictory. There are no clear-cut themes to allow the formulation of a coherent profile of the woman leader.

One means of arriving at a more integrated and consistent view of female leadership may be investigation of the phenomenon within established theoretical bounds. By working within the relatively structured framework of social psychological theory, investigators may be able to progress in a logical and productive fashion. This dissertation was intended to study female leadership through an integration of equity and attribution theories, along with the concept of sex role stereotyping. These constructs were explored in the context of leader performance, satisfaction, role comfort, and organizational reward allocation. It was expected that several factors would be shown to interact, and thus influence female leadership.

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