Gender, Gender Role Stereotypes and Attitude Towards Women Managers: A Comparison Study on Belize and Taiwan

Abstract

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Although women have been taking up space in society, there is still a huge underrepresentation in managerial positions, which for decades have been considered male dominated roles. The lack of participation of women in management positions has been attributed to gender role stereotypes, individual’s gender and nationality. This study aimed to investigate the influence of gender and gender role stereotypes on individual’s attitude towards women managers in Taiwan and Belize, by adopting Women as Managers Scale (WAMS) and Gender Role Stereotypes Scale (GRSS). Data was collected from a total sample size of 320 participants from both Belize and Taiwan using a cross sectional research design. The results of this quantitative study confirmed that women from both countries have a more favorable attitude towards women managers as compared to men from both countries. In addition, findings indicated that Belizeans’ perceptions of women managers are highly influenced by gender role stereotypes but such trend is not reflected in the data provided by Taiwanese respondents. The overall results led to the discussion of several practical implications for stakeholders in education and Human Resource Departments within organizations, aiming on reducing negative stereotypes associated with women. Findings are also valuable addition to the limited gender-related literature available in Belize and Central America. Hence, suggestions for future research directions are provided.