Sex Bias at Work: The Effects of Attentional and Memory Demands on Performance Ratings of Men and Women¹

Abstract

The present study examined the impact of attentional and memory demands on work performance ratings accorded men and women in traditionally male jobs. Of interest was whether sex discrimination would abate in the face of individuating and job-relevant work behavior even when the demands likely to be faced in actual work settings were taken into account. Two hundred and two subjects read a vignette depicting the work behavior of a male or female police officer and then rated the individual's work performance. The attentional demands imposed on subjects while reading the vignette and the amount of time elapsed prior to issuing the performance ratings were systematically varied. As predicted, men were evaluated more favorably than women when raters were faced with an additional task requiring attention and time pressures were made salient. Only when subjects were able to carefully allocate all of theirattentional resources did sex bias in work performance ratings abate. Memory demands had no effects on work performance ratings. Gender-related work characterizations paralleled the performance ratings, providing support for the idea that sex stereotypes mediate discrimination in performance appraisal judgments. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings, as well as suggestions for future research, are discussed.Recent investigations of sex discrimination in performance appraisals have been concerned with identifying factors thought to influence whether sex stereotypes give rise to more favorable evaluations of men than women in traditionally male work settings (for reviews of this research see Nieva & Gutek, 1980;Tosi & Einbender, 1985). Attention has been drawn most notably to the amount and type of information provided to raters as impor-'This article is based in part on a dissertation submitted to New York University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Ph.D. and was presented at the 1990 meeting of the Academy of Management, San Francisco, California. The excellent advice of Madeline Heilman is gratefully acknowledged, as is the help of the other committee members, Art Brief

Role congruity theory of prejudice toward female leaders.

“…Our theory states that the first type of disadvantage 6 Another interaction predicted by our theory was demonstrated in experiments that did not involve leadership behavior but behavior in a male-dominated occupation (police officer). Specifically, bias against women was greater when cognitive resources were depleted by competing attentional demands or time pressures (Martell, 1991) or when ratings were delayed by 5 days (Martell, 1996). stems from social perceivers' combining of the descriptive aspects of the gender and leader roles.…”

Physicians and Implicit Bias: How Doctors May Unwittingly Perpetuate Health Care Disparities

“…Indeed, uncertainty and time pressure surrounding the diagnostic process may promote reliance on stereotypes for efficient decision-making. [17][18][19][20] Physician training emphasizes group level information, like population risk factors, and may expose trainees to minorities in unfavorable circumstances of illness or addiction, reinforcing stereotypes. Finally, physicians' vast knowledge of scientific data may create a strong belief in their personal objectivity, promoting bias in decision-making.…”

Interaction of Recruiter and Applicant Gender in Resume Evaluation: A Field Study

“…Gender stereotypes are usually referred to as generalizations held by a large proportion of the population that distinguish men from women and are stable over time (McCauley, Stitt, & Segal, 1980). Specifically, men are commonly believed to exhibit "masculine" traits such as dominance, independence, and competitiveness, whereas women are believed to exhibit "feminine" traits such as dependence, nurturance, and communality (Martell, 1991). Although gender stereotypes have not been found to reflect actual sex differences, gender seems to influence individuals' beliefs and, more importantly, their expectations and evaluations of others (Deaux, 1984).…”