Gender stereotypes of leaders: Do they impact higher education leadership?

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to give a summary of the studies on gender stereotypes, different leadership styles, and the effectiveness of higher education institutions. Furthermore, covered in depth are the study's ramifications for social psychology and organizational growth. The differences between the two leadership archetypes of "aggressive versus communal" and "friendly versus competent" prepare the audience for a discussion of social psychological studies that look at how stereotypes affect the choices that leaders take. There are other strategies as well, such debunking myths and integrating feminist ideas into the emphasized leadership philosophy. Gender stereotypes are widely used and profoundly influence the behavior of men and women in many different situations. Gender stereotypes can be used by social psychologists and organizational development scholars to better understand how women see themselves and how they are seen in circumstances when they are expected to assume leadership positions. The inclination of men and women to lead in different ways affects how people view various kinds of leaders. This paper looks at how this corpus of research may be used to the leadership of higher education institutions by comparing descriptive studies of gender issues in education leadership with studies of leadership in other contexts. The use of this corpus of work in academic administration is particularly examined within the parameters of this study. It also offers tactics that one can use to refute assumptions and generalizations.