At last night’s Democratic primary debate, Senator Amy Klobuchar asserted that women are held to a higher standard than men—what does research say?
The most likely explanation for why women are held to a higher standard is unconscious bias. In Klobuchar’s reply she referred to this bias adding to her comments on this issue, “I don't think you have to be the tallest person on this stage to be president.” She was making a reference to our mental picture of a competent leader—white, male and tall.
For those who can’t relate to bias encountered women or minorities, height bias will often resonate. In Malcolm Gladwell’s book, he describes his own research on height bias,"I polled about half of the companies on the Fortune 500 list, asking each company questions about its CEO. In my sample, I found that on average CEOs were just a shade under six feet.
Height bias doesn’t mean that short people won’t be promoted or elected, it just means that tall people have it a little easier. Short people are therefore held to a higher standard, because they don’t fit the stereotypical picture of a leader. Women and minorities are held to this same higher standard, because they also don’t fit the typical image of a leader.But unconscious bias isn’t the only explanation of why women perceive they must work harder than men.
that women want to rack up more accomplishments than their male counterparts before they consider themselves ready for promotion.And there are even more reasons proposed for why women are held to a higher standard than men. For example,have found men are more likely to have mentors and sponsors at work that speak for their qualifications, while women’s accomplishments have to stand out on their own. Thus, women must work harder to get noticed.
Would Buttigieg have been on the stage last night if he was a woman? We’ll never know. Clearly, there is ample evidence to support Klobuchar’s assertion that women are held to a higher standard than their male counterparts. Kudos to Klobuchar for bringing the issue to the attention of such a large audience.
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