Gender, Leadership Style, and Employee Job Satisfaction

Introduction

Employees' job satisfaction and success are tremendously influenced by their managers. Studies show that men and women have varying preferences regarding the gender of their manager. Several studies have concentrated on this matter; unfortunately, their outcomes are inconsistent. This paper, therefore, reviews past research findings with the intention of exploring and casting light on the relationship between these variables in the modern workplace (Jackson, Alberti, & Snipes, 2014).

Effect of Gender on Leadership Style

Available research shows that men and women face different evaluation parameters in their leadership roles. Success in performance for a man is often attributed to his internal characteristics, skills, and abilities. On the other hand, success for a woman is attributed to external factors related to a given situation — such as the simplicity of the task or chance. There is a general perception that men are achievers and doers, while women are perceived to possess better interpersonal skills (Crites, Dickson, & Lorenz, 2015).

Women are relatively fewer than men in many segments and sectors, especially at higher management levels and decision-making positions. Indeed, the title "manager" often strikes many people as male before they neutralize it to either gender. It is difficult to change the dominant stereotypes that have fueled these notions. Thus, many women still face discrimination in leadership roles and encounter barriers to rising into decision-making positions (Crites, Dickson, & Lorenz, 2015). Researchers concur that in the United States, the masculine approach has been regarded as the more successful leadership style within its culture. It is assumed that a masculine leadership style is characterized by a rigid approach driven by productivity and objectivity, with its focus firmly on the end result (Jackson et al., 2014).

Gender stereotypes that portray women as warm, soft, caring, and nurturing — juxtaposed with the stereotype that men are rough, competitive, and authoritarian — appear to fuel these perceptions universally. The truth, however, is that women are just as effective in leadership as men are. There is a close relationship between the definitions of a successful manager and a successful leader; both are framed in terms of masculine characteristics, parameters, and terms of engagement (Kawakami, White, & Langer, 2000).

Effect of Gender on Employee Job Satisfaction

Personality and demographic differences are known to influence the relationship between a leader and a follower. Research evidence shows that demographic differences between a supervisor and a staff member affect the quality of their relationship, and that gender differences further lower the quality of that interaction. This implies that employees would prefer a manager of their own gender — a finding that would seem to align with the concept of gender congruence between supervisors and employees. However, the widely documented finding that a male manager is generally preferred across the board contradicts the gender congruence hypothesis in the leadership-employee paradigm. Consequently, the premise of gender congruence is questionable as a basis for a better leader-member exchange (Jackson et al., 2014).

It is also perceived that female-to-female conflict is more severe and causes more problems than male-to-male or male-to-female conflicts. Observers in the research cited believed that women are more unforgiving and more likely to hold grudges. These perceptions likely informed the view held by many Americans that men make better managers (Jackson et al., 2014).

Conclusion

The effectiveness of leadership is, therefore, influenced by the gender of the supervisor. There is a stronger negative association between authoritarian leadership and employee performance for female leaders than for male leaders. Benevolent leadership was also found to influence employee performance more strongly under male leaders than under their female counterparts (Cenkci & Ozcelik, 2015).

Common and shared assumptions about leadership effectiveness continue to negatively influence the chances for women to take up leadership roles. Organizational research does not help the matter either. It is generally believed that men are task-oriented, authoritative, and results-driven, while women are caring and skilled at interpersonal relations — and thus capable of motivating others toward goals. There is still cause for concern, because the research that attempts to refute existing views on gender and leadership is disjointed, conflicting, and often defines gender in inconsistent ways (Jackson et al., 2014). Given the lack of established best practices for achieving organizational goals, more research on the role of gender in leadership and performance is needed to dispel existing misconceptions. Such research will open the way for women to access leadership positions across a wider spectrum of organizations (Crites et al., 2015).