Females But Not Followers: Perceptions of Femininity, Self-Concept, and Leadership Ability In Adolescent Females

Abstract

This paper examined the self-perceptions of adolescent females, ages 11-14, with respect to their feminine identity, self-concept, and leadership ability. We hypothesized that students primed with a feminine gender identity would exhibit lower scores on measures of self-concept and leadership ability than students primed with an androgynous gender identity or placed in the control condition. However, we found that students primed with an androgynous gender identity exhibited the lowest scores, and that there were few differences between students primed with a feminine gender identity and students who were not primed. The results suggested a potential ongoing, societal transition in which contemporary women will be influenced by gender stereotypes regarding leadership in a different manner than previous generations of women.