Hidden Bias Against Female Bosses?

Dec. 4, 2007 — -- From CEOs to international leaders, when it comes to power positions, women today are making it to the top and experts say the corporate ladder is full of more female rising stars than ever before.

A recent " Wall Street Journal special series, "Women to Watch," found that there's a solid pipeline of women poised to take over in the next five to 10 years. But that road may prove awfully bumpy for many of them.

New York University professor Madeline Heilman says successful women in traditionally male-dominated roles and industries are regarded much more negatively than men who are similarly successful.

She helped us put her theory to the test in a special "GMA" Behavior Lab. We asked a dozen volunteers to read memos announcing the hiring of new executives at a fictitious company. One group read a memo about James, a highly competent, proven leader.

The second group read a memo about Andrea, and other than her gender, her bio was exactly the same as James. A third group was shown a different memo about Susan. Again her bio was the same as both James and Andrea, but it included an added section that described her as an understanding and nurturing person.

The results were stunning.

All of the volunteers who read the memo about James said they would be happy to work for him. They described him as professional and capable. One respondent said, "I feel like he could potentially help me get ahead. … I could learn a lot from him too."

But all those who read the memo about Andrea, the female boss with the same bio, had a much different reaction, and not one person wanted to work with her. They described her as strict, tough, mean, ruthless and stubborn.

Finally, it was fascinating to see what happened with Susan's memo. She's the equally qualified executive who was also described as caring and nurturing. The respondents were willing to work for her. They called her qualified, dynamic, successful and balanced. One volunteer said, "It's not only about being completely ambitious and driven, but a good mix of two."