ERIC Number: EJ938338
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011-Oct
Pages: 36
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1052-5629
EISSN: N/A
Using Power to Influence Outcomes: Does Gender Matter?
Shapiro, Mary; Ingols, Cynthia; Blake-Beard, Stacy
Journal of Management Education, v35 n5 p713-748 Oct 2011
The conventional definitions of power and masculinity are tightly conflated. The same words that are often used to describe power, such as authority, control, and decisiveness, are also often used to define masculinity. Where does that leave women in building and using power? Even as feminist scholars attempt to decouple the definition of power from masculinity by expanding power paradigms, cultural norms in the United States are still such that there is an expectation of women to be collaborative and self-sacrificing. As a result, many women are reluctant to use "masculine" power, or when they do, they are faced with the double bind: Be powerful but unfeminine. This exercise allows both female and male students to explore their personal relationship with power and how they build and use power to influence outcomes. The exercise fosters a rich discussion about cultural definitions and expectations on power and the double binds they create for both men and women.
Descriptors: Females, Reading Attitudes, Definitions, Interpersonal Relationship, Masculinity, Undergraduate Students, Graduate Students, Gender Differences, Organizational Climate, Individual Power
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United States
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A