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HTH SCI 4AA3 at McMaster U, Roles
HTH SCI 4AA3 at McMaster U, Roles
(Dimock, 1970)
What are some factors that explain the association between gender role and leader emergence?
• A) Type of task
o The perception of leader may depend on whether the leader’s gender role is congruent
with the gender orientation of the type of the tasks (Lord & Emrich, 2001).
o Masculine attributes and behaviors such as independence and initiating structure, with a
focus on effective or efficient task completion (Hall et al., 1998; Lord & Maher, 1991).
o Feminine attributes and behaviors such as friendliness and consideration, with a focus on
maintaining good relationships with followers (Hall et al., 1998; Lord & Maher, 1991).
• B) Culture/societal norms and values
o Masculine cultures exhibit a belief that men should dominate in society and be assertive
and there exists clearly defined sex roles in the masculine society
o Sex roles in feminine society are more flexible due to the belief that sexes are equal, and
because men are not expected to be assertive
o In communities having low masculinity traits, it might be the case that gender roles do
not influence the leader in a group
o E.g. a study conducted in Turkey, which has feminine society, neither masculinity nor
femininity was found to be influential in leader emergence unlike similar studies
conducted in the states (Turetgen, Unsal, Pinar, & Erdem, 2008)
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