Barriers to the C-Suite: The Impact of Perceptions of Gender Bias on Women Leaders’ Senior Leadership Ambitions

The current research examined whether women leaders' senior leadership ambitions are more strongly negatively affected by perceptions of gender bias (i.e., subtle gender bias, inequity, and mistreatment) in the workplace than leaders who are men and whether this association occurs through cynicism towards work. To test this, 347 leaders completed an online survey. It was found that women leaders had similar senior leadership ambitions as men, and contrary to expectations, gender did not affect the relation between gender bias and senior leadership ambitions. However, for both women and men, perceptions of gender bias were related to cynicism towards work, and ultimately, lower senior leadership ambitions. Further, women leaders who worked in male-dominated workplaces reported more issues of subtle gender bias than others. These findings have meaningful implications and suggest that it is likely systemic barriers, and not women's ambitions, that explain the lack of women in the C-suite.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts (M.A.)

Level thesis:degree_level

Master's

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology

Grantor dc:publisher

Carleton University

Year dc:date.issued

2020

Author dc:creator

• Parvizian, Sepinood

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright © 2020 the author(s). Theses may be used for non-commercial research, educational, or related academic purposes only. Such uses include personal study, research, scholarship, and teaching. Theses may only be shared by linking to Carleton University Institutional Repository and no part may be used without proper attribution to the author. No part may be used for commercial purposes directly or indirectly via a for-profit platform; no adaptation or derivative works are permitted without consent from the copyright owner.

Language dc:language.iso

en

DOI

10.22215/etd/2020-14300

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:carleton.scholaris.ca:20.500.14718/41589