men are judged on potential; for women, it’s strictly performance.
by ida o. abbott
sponsoring women: what men need to know
common patterns of gender bias include holding women to higher standards than men and expressing contradictory expectations (“double binds”) for women.
different standards: people expect more of women than of men and they hold women to higher standards. this sets the bar higher for women who aspire to leadership and makes it more difficult for them to prove their value to the organization, even though research shows that women outperform men in 17 of 67 critical leadership skills, while men outperform women in only four.
more on sponsoring women for leadership: 5 ways women get shoved aside | thanks for the advice, but i’d really prefer a promotion | women leaders provide 6 market advantages | beyond mentoring to sponsorship | protect your protégée from flextime saboteurs | ‘soft skills’ advice needed, too | use others to promote your protégée | 17 ways sponsors can help protégées | what sponsors need from protégées | 3 ways to derail sponsorships | 4 reasons women hold themselves back | 4 ways sponsors can help women seek power | bias about women with families lingers
people also judge women and men differently: women on their performance and men on their potential.
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