Chapter 5Career Strategies for Women
Interview with Professor Margaret Neale, Adams Distinguished Professor of Management at Stanford Graduate School of Business
In your view, what female stereotypes still prevail in our society? What are the perceptions of women in business?
Well, I think the stereotypes have changed very much. We all stereotype—and both men and women stereotype women. I want to be really clear that the evidence—empirical evidence in research—suggests that it's not that men see us one way and women see women in different ways; we see each other the same way; we've been socialized in the same system of social norms and mores, and as a result the behaviors that are often identified as making it difficult for women to succeed flow from perceptions of both men and women about women.
Do you think that there is still gender inequality in business organizations?
Yes, but I typically see the gender inequality based on a sense of organizations or individuals needing to keep women in their place. This overt sexism—“women don't belong here”—is actually relatively rare. Of course there are always a few very visible exceptions—there was a recent Newsweek article about what Silicon Valley thinks about women, focusing on the lack of women in venture ...
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