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Risky Business: A Theoretical Model Applied To The Advancement Of Executive Women

dc.contributor.authorCabrera,en_US
dc.date.accessioned2010-04-09T19:59:28Z
dc.date.available2010-04-09T19:59:28Z
dc.date.issued2010-04-09T19:59:28Z
dc.description.abstractIn order to explain the sparse representation of women in leadership positions across U.S. society, I propose a theoretical model delineating the processes underlying executive advancement. I argue that organizational gatekeepers making hiring and promotion decisions are fundamentally engaged in a risk assessment process in which they consider both risks associated with the characteristics of the individual candidates for the position (candidate risk) and risks external to these candidates (exogenous risk). I then use the model to make specific propositions about how candidate gender affects these risk assessments, and how gender impacts which individuals advance to the executive suite. I test the theoretical propositions related to candidate risk with two experimental studies using different sample populations and experimental designs. The results of Study 1 provide strong support for the general model, demonstrating that moderate-quality job candidates are perceived as more risky than high-quality candidates, and that as a result they are less likely to be hired than high-quality candidates. The results of Study 1 also demonstrate that because moderate-quality women are perceived as less congruent and less committed than equivalently qualified men, they are perceived as more risky candidates for hire than men, and as a result, are less likely to be hired than men. Study 2 provides additional support for my gender- related hypotheses, demonstrating that male participants perceive women as riskier candidates for hire than men and as a result, are less likely to hire them than men. I discuss the implications for both theory and practice.en_US
dc.identifier.otherbibid: 6890879
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1813/14751
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.titleRisky Business: A Theoretical Model Applied To The Advancement Of Executive Womenen_US
dc.typedissertation or thesisen_US

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