Motherhood and Leadership: Exploring Employee Perceptions of Female Leaders in the Workplace
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Abstract
A key challenge faced by female leaders, especially mothers, is the persistence of “maternity bias,” which reflects prejudices that arise from assumptions about a woman’s ability to lead due to her actual or anticipated
responsibilities as a mother. This bias often results in unjust treatment, such as reduced career opportunities and the assumption that mothers are less dedicated to their work. This paper investigates the impact of
motherhood on the perception of female leaders within organizations, addressing a gap in the literature on gender and leadership. While existing studies often focus on differences between male and female leadership styles, they overlook the specific challenges faced by female leaders who are mothers. This study aims to examine whether being a mother for a female leader affects employees' perceptions and their intention to remain with the organization and if this is mediated by their leadership style. Using a sample of companies belonging to various industries and from different countries, the study will investigate how employees perceive the competence and leadership of their female leaders based on their motherhood status. The results suggest that employees’ perceptions of ethical leadership play a key role in their intention to stay with the organization.
While the leader’s identity as a mother does not directly influence retention, it shapes employees' views of their ethical leadership, which in turn significantly impacts their decision to remain with the firm. This
highlights the importance of ethical leadership in fostering employee retention. Results can inform policies aimed at reducing gender-based discrimination and improving organizational diversity and leadership equity.
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2024
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Keywords
Leadership, Motherhood, Female, Gender, Manager, Discrimination
Citation
Magnanelli, Barbara Sveva, Luigi Nasta, and Sergio Scicchitano. Motherhood and Leadership: Exploring Employee Perceptions of Female Leaders in the Workplace. Working Paper. Essen: Global Labor Organization (GLO). 2024.