Stereotype threat is the risk of confirming a negative stereotype about one's group as being true of oneself. This laboratory simulation investigated the effect of stereotype threat on women's performance of a managerial task and explored gender role identification as a moderator of the stereotype threat effect. Specifically, the effect of the stereotype that women are less competent than men in managerial and executive positions was examined. Male and female participants performed a managerial in-basket task in a stereotypically masculine or feminine sex role-typed condition. As hypothesized, women underperformed men in the masculine sex role-typed condition, but not in the feminine sex role-typed condition. These effects were moderated by masculine gender role identification, thus establishing a boundary condition for the stereotype threat effect.In the popular press, there has been some celebration about the fact that women have finally broken through the glass ceiling (Hefferman, 2002;Sharpe, 2000;Wellington, 1998). This optimism may be somewhat premature, because it seems that the glass ceiling has not yet shattered. Women currently comprise 46% of total labor force participants and hold 50% of managerial positions (U. S. Department of Labor, 2002). Yet, at senior levels of management, they comprise less than 12% of corporate officers and board directors and only 5% of highest title holders (e.g., President) in the Fortune 1000 companies (Catalyst, 2001). Despite similar human capital variables (education level, ambition, career commitment), women still progress more slowly than men. Though women have been successful at achieving parity in numbers at the managerial level (U. S. Department of Labor, 2002), the same cannot be said for the executive ranks. These statistics raise the question of whether women have not simply reached a second, higher ceiling.