{"id":618432,"date":"2024-04-26T21:00:42","date_gmt":"2024-04-26T18:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/study-shows-benevolent-sexism-in-startups-widens-the-gender-gap\/"},"modified":"2024-04-26T21:00:42","modified_gmt":"2024-04-26T18:00:42","slug":"study-shows-benevolent-sexism-in-startups-widens-the-gender-gap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/study-shows-benevolent-sexism-in-startups-widens-the-gender-gap\/","title":{"rendered":"#Study shows \u2018benevolent sexism\u2019 in startups widens the gender gap"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3c56d2c14c6\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3c56d2c14c6\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/study-shows-benevolent-sexism-in-startups-widens-the-gender-gap\/#Benevolent_sexism_in_entrepreneurship\" >Benevolent sexism in entrepreneurship<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/study-shows-benevolent-sexism-in-startups-widens-the-gender-gap\/#Benevolent_sexism_advantages_men\" >Benevolent sexism advantages men<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/study-shows-benevolent-sexism-in-startups-widens-the-gender-gap\/#Addressing_unwarranted_advantages\" >Addressing unwarranted advantages<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/study-shows-benevolent-sexism-in-startups-widens-the-gender-gap\/#Fix_the_system_not_women\" >Fix the system, not women<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\nThis view overlooks the existence of more subtle, yet pervasive and <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social<\/a>ly acceptable, sexist attitudes that often go unnoticed. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.jbusvent.2016.10.005\">Given the sheer number of people interested or working in startups today<\/a>, from investors to suppliers to job <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>licants, the effects of these subtle forms of sexism can accumulate across a large and diverse group of decision-makers.<\/p>\n<p>For initiatives tackling gender inequality in entrepreneurship to be effective, we must gain a deeper understanding of the effects of these subtle biases faced by women entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Benevolent_sexism_in_entrepreneurship\"><\/span>Benevolent sexism in entrepreneurship<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1037\/0022-3514.70.3.491\">Benevolent sexism<\/a> is a form of bias that, on the surface, appears to be positive toward women, but ultimately reinforces gender roles and entrenches inequality.<\/p>\n<p>Unlike overtly hostile forms of discrimination, benevolent sexism manifests in seemingly harmless beliefs. This type of sexism often portrays women as delicate or in need of protection, while men are positioned as the providers and protectors.<\/p>\n<p>Because benevolent sexism is often expressed in ways that seem positive, it is rarely challenged by either men or women. It can serve to maintain traditional gender dynamics by creating the illusion of support for women while still restricting their autonomy.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"align-center \"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/575439\/original\/file-20240213-16-l8bgb9.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/575439\/original\/file-20240213-16-l8bgb9.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/575439\/original\/file-20240213-16-l8bgb9.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/575439\/original\/file-20240213-16-l8bgb9.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/575439\/original\/file-20240213-16-l8bgb9.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/575439\/original\/file-20240213-16-l8bgb9.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/575439\/original\/file-20240213-16-l8bgb9.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w\" alt=\"A figure of a woman standing on a stack of coins with a plastic cup placed over it. Beside it is a figure of a man standing on a taller stack of coins.\"\/><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">Benevolent sexism often portrays women as delicate or in need of protection, while men are positioned as the providers and protectors.<\/span><br \/><span class=\"attribution\"><span class=\"source\">(Shutterstock)<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In particular, research shows that benevolent sexism <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/0149206310365902\">undermines women at work and results in them holding fewer positions of power in organizations<\/a>. The startup ecosystem is particularly fertile ground for this kind of sexism to manifest and worsen over time.<\/p>\n<p>Since <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ised-isde.canada.ca\/site\/women-entrepreneurship-strategy\/en\">women are more underrepresented in entrepreneurship than in traditional organizations<\/a>, startup evaluators are careful not to act on overt sexist attitudes. This, in turn, gives room for more subtle forms of bias to emerge.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Benevolent_sexism_advantages_men\"><\/span>Benevolent sexism advantages men<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Our <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/10422587231178865\">recent research paper<\/a> examined how benevolent sexism affects how evaluators judge woman- and man-led startups.<\/p>\n<p>Initially, we theorized that startup evaluators with benevolent sexist views would more likely to rate women-led startups as less viable (i.e., more likely to fail). We did not expect their evaluation of men\u2019s startups to be affected at all.<\/p>\n<p>To test this hypothesis, we conducted three studies where participants were tasked with evaluating a hypothetical early-stage startup founded by either a man or a woman. Both entrepreneurs in our scenarios had identical qualifications and startup ideas.<\/p>\n<p>The results from all three studies found that the more evaluators endorsed benevolent sexist beliefs, the more positively they judged men-led startups. There was no impact on the evaluation of women-led startups. This finding was the same, regardless of whether the evaluators themselves were men or women, in two out of the three studies.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Addressing_unwarranted_advantages\"><\/span>Addressing unwarranted advantages<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Our findings call for a fundamental rethinking of what attaining true equity entails. It is not enough to remove the unfair barriers holding women back; we also need to confront the unfair privileges propelling men forward.<\/p>\n<p>This suggests that common solutions for addressing gender inequities are not sufficient. They mostly focus on barriers that women face, while ignoring the unwarranted advantages afforded to men. Such common solutions include focus on <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/43822387\">women\u2019s education, mentoring and networking<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>To effectively address the gender gap in entrepreneurship, we need to raise awareness about the hidden effects of benevolent sexism. This could be done through education and training of entrepreneurs, mentors and investors. Such interventions could communicate to these stakeholders that while benevolent sexism seems positive it is actually harmful.<\/p>\n<p>Further, we need to redesign the startup evaluation process. The current ambiguous and unstructured conditions of startups allow subtle biases to emerge.<\/p>\n<p>To address this issue, we need clearly defined and transparent criteria for evaluating startups. Indeed, past research shows that creating <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1287\/orsc.2014.0950\">clear structure, transparency and accountability in evaluation processes<\/a> are critical for reducing biased decision-making.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Fix_the_system_not_women\"><\/span>Fix the system, not women<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Our research challenges traditional interventions that solely address overt sexist attitudes towards women. Many interventions suggest that women need to change.<\/p>\n<p>For example, women are advised to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.5465\/amj.2016.1215\">change their communication and negotiation styles<\/a>. They are also advised to venture into more <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1287\/stsc.2022.0170\">masculine and higher profile industries<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Such advice overlooks the advantages men receive. As our research demonstrates, even when women have identical qualifications and ideas, men-led startups are seen as more promising. Moreover, well-intended initiatives designed to address gender gaps in entrepreneurship may <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.5465\/amr.2017.0087\">backfire since they signal women need help, which propagates a benevolent sexist tone<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>This calls <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/j.1540-6520.2006.00138.x\">for fixing the system rather than fixing women<\/a>. We need to address gender inequity by examining and changing evaluators\u2019 attitudes and behaviours, as opposed to encouraging women to change.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" class=\"js-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/222486\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\"\/><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https:\/\/theconversation.com\/republishing-guidelines --><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/222486\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" class=\"\" srcset=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p><em><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/nhu-nguyen-1508131\">Nhu Nguyen<\/a>, PhD Ccandidate in Management, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/mcgill-university-827\">McGill University<\/a>; <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/frederic-godart-1508281\">Frederic Godart<\/a>, Associate Professor, Organizational Behavior, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/insead-1900\">INSEAD<\/a>; <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/ivona-hideg-1078326\">Ivona Hideg<\/a>, Associate Professor and Ann Brown Chair in Organization Studies, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/york-university-canada-1610\">York University, Canada<\/a>, and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/yuval-engel-1508183\">Yuval Engel<\/a>, Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/university-of-amsterdam-1391\">University of Amsterdam<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>This article is republished from <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/benevolent-sexism-in-startups-widens-the-gender-gap-by-advantaging-men-over-women-222486\">original article<\/a>.<\/em>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/study-benevolent-sexism-startups-gender-gap\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This view overlooks the existence of more subtle, yet pervasive and socially acceptable, sexist attitudes that often go unnoticed. Given the sheer number of people interested or working in startups today, from investors to suppliers to job applicants, the effects of these subtle forms of sexism can accumulate across a large and diverse group of&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":618433,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image\/tnw-blurple?filter_last=1&fit=1280%2C640&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn0.tnwcdn.com%2Fwp-content%2Fblogs.dir%2F1%2Ffiles%2F2024%2F04%2FAdd-a-heading-2-2.jpg&signature=3adde68fb87aeab2e580f097a304010e","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-618432","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/618432","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=618432"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/618432\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/618433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=618432"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=618432"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=618432"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}