Keep smiling?
Study shows what careers can cost women in middle age
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Midlife is actually the perfect age to be considered for top positions in the job. With women it is different. A study found out why.
Extend your elbows a bit, they said. They said it’s better to be big than to make a mess. Be a little more like a man, they said. Sentences that women hear when they try to climb the career ladder and fail at the hurdles. The assumptions that studies also confirm: women are just too nice. They often lack the necessary bite and self-confidence to stand up for themselves. But if you take that to heart, the tables turn quickly. Self-confident appearance is quickly classified as bitchy or arrogant. That does not fit. Because women are still expected to create a warm and cozy feeling AND to be self-confident. And that can definitely cost you a career in 2023, as a recent study by a research team from the University of Berkley shows.
Middle-aged women are considered less “nice”
The study, published in the “Journal of Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes,” found that while both men and women are perceived as more capable and effective as they age, only women are simultaneously seen as less warm-hearted and kind. As a result, they are judged more harshly on the job, which in turn has a major impact on their career opportunities. The research showed that male professors’ ratings remain fairly constant with age, while female professors’ ratings peaked in their 30s before falling to their nadir in 47. The results may explain why there’s still a “continuous shortage” of women in top positions, says Jennifer Chatman, a professor at the Haas School of Business and one of the study’s co-authors. Above all, outdated stereotypes played a decisive role.
Stereotypical images of women sabotage careers
Previous research has shown that women are generally perceived as being warmer than men, while men are perceived as more empowered and assertive. Assumptions stemming from historically inherited stereotypes: women taking care of children and home while men hunted or worked. While a lot has changed since then, “the stereotypes have outlived their usefulness,” Chatman told Business Insider, adding that this is where friction arises: “There seems to be something about the nature of career progression that people tend to attribute to it tends to perceive women as less warm-hearted and therefore less likeable as their agency increases.” This is particularly precarious for middle-aged women, as they are the most stereotyped in this age group, which means that their performance is rated less, but at the same time they would apply for potential top positions in companies based on their experience and level of knowledge. This makes it much more difficult for them to make a career than their male competitors, since a combination of competence and warmth is often expected of women in management interviews due to gender-specific social expectations.
And what’s next?
One University of Michigan study explores how this is affecting women and what they can do about it. To do this, the research team looked at various personal reports from female executives. Some participants used so-called heat-based tactics, others competency-based, or a mixture of both. ‘A disturbing finding of our work is that women must never stop conforming to gender expectations,’ the authors explain. “This reality could fuel women’s resistance to taking on consulting positions and explain the disproportionate level of burnout women experience from constantly having to regulate their behavior.”
New assessment standards are needed
The results of these studies clearly show the difficulties women still face when trying to pursue a career and how generically entrenched the stereotypes that keep us from equality are. As forbes.de writes: “There are clearly systemic challenges to be overcome if women are to advance in organisations, particularly at the board level, where expectations are so often gendered. After all, making an extra effort for women as they get older is hardly a solution to appear warm and friendly, especially as the studies are already highlighting the narrower range of seemingly acceptable behaviors.” And the research team also concludes: “We need to create systems and standardizations for how we discuss and evaluate candidates and either exclude personality feedback or ensure that it is equally taken into account for men.”
Sources: greatergood.berkeley.edu, businessinsider.com, forbes.com