‘Selfish’ male bosses victims of ‘benevolent sexism’, study finds

Article here. Excerpt:

'Selfish male bosses are to blame for bad business performance while their female counterparts are perceived to be just victims of bad luck, according to a new academic study of gender stereotypes.

A joint study by the University of East Anglia, University of Melbourne and Monash University in Australia found that “benevolent sexism” – where women are seen as “affectionate and delicate individuals who need to be protected” – was widespread in the workplace.

Researchers added that men were more likely to give women the benefit of the doubt than their own female colleagues.

Participants in the study were divided into groups where one member was designated team leader and asked to make investment decisions.

The remainder were then asked to evaluate their performance based only on the outcome of the leader’s choices and their gender.

While men were blamed for risky behaviour and poor returns, women were more likely to be viewed as unlucky.'