Desirable leadership attributes are preferentially associated with women: A quantitative study of gender and leadership roles in the Australian workforce

Women are under-represented globally in leadership roles. One theory suggests that this imbalance is due to a mismatch between the qualities women are perceived to have, and the qualities desired in business leaders. Yet, little is known about whether this incongruence remains prevalent in the Australian business environment. To this end, this study investigated gender stereotypes and desired leadership attributes in 1885 participants from 25...