Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Walsh, Megan M
• Carleton, Erica L
• Hancock, Amanda J
• Arnold, Kara A

Titel

Mindfulness and stereotype threat in social media: unexpected effects for women’s leadership aspirations

Ist Teil von

• Gender in management, 2022-05, Vol.37 (4), p.535-548

Ort / Verlag

Emerald Publishing Limited

Erscheinungsjahr

2022

Link zum Volltext

Quelle

Emerald Management 200

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Purpose The purpose of this paper were to investigate whether gendered social media images reduce women’s leadership aspirations (via reduced leadership self-efficacy) and whether state mindfulness buffers the effect of stereotype threat on women’s leadership self-efficacy, and in turn, leadership aspirations. Design/methodology/approach Study 1 (n = 53) was a pilot study designed to test materials intended to induce stereotype threat via social media. Study 2 (n = 144) was an experimental study in which participants were randomly assigned to stereotype threat or control conditions. Stereotype threat was implicitly induced via a fictional Facebook timeline that incorporated gendered images. Findings Stereotype threat induced via social media predicted lower leadership aspirations for women, which was mediated by reduced leadership self-efficacy, as expected. State mindfulness moderated this mediated relationship in an unexpected way; stereotype threat effects on leadership self-efficacy and leadership aspirations were stronger for women higher in state mindfulness. Originality/value It is important to investigate stereotype threat induced via social media to understand the potential damage gendered images may have on women’s leadership aspirations in a modern advertising context. This research shows that indeed gendered images in social media advertising decrease women’s leadership self-efficacy and leadership aspirations. Interestingly, this study also found that mindfulness had a negative effect in relation to stereotype threat. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.