I want to succeed, and I can succeed. Examining the moderating role of achievement values and self-efficacy on women’s task choices and implicit association with leadership

Abstract

Despite long-standing progress, women remain
underrepresented in managerial positions. Rising to
leadership might require women to overcome norms that
promote gender-congruent behavior. This study
investigated the impact of exposure to a traditional male
stereotype on women’s implicit association between
gender and leadership and the number of nontraditional
leadership roles they choose. The study also examined
whether high scores on self-efficacy and achievement
values moderate the impact of the gender conformity
exposure. Results indicated that self-efficacy and
achievement values directly predicted more agentic work
roles chosen by women. Surprisingly, gender conformity
cues increased participants’ willingness to compete for
agentic tasks.