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Violation and activation of gender expectations: Do Chinese managerial women face a narrow band of acceptable career guanxi strategies?

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Abstract

We proposed a conceptual model arguing that stereotype violation and stereotype activation combine to create a narrow band of acceptable career strategies for women in management. Utilizing a sample of 324 Chinese managers (162 pairs of women and men matched on education, years of work experience, and employing organization), we examined the effects of gender on three career development outcomes: number of subordinates supervised, life satisfaction, and career satisfaction. Results indicated that being female had a significant negative main effect on all three outcomes. Ten significant interactions supported the theoretical effects of both stereotype violation and activation on women’s managerial career development, consistent with our conceptual model. The findings suggest that Chinese women in management face a narrow band of acceptable career strategies, especially in the area of creating social capital. The results highlight the importance of testing both stereotype violation and stereotype activation effects and of creating social capital through appropriate networking.

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Acknowledgments

1. All authors have contributed equally to this paper.

2. The research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (71572017; 71202029) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, Beijing Normal University, China. The second author is grateful for support from the Corus Entertainment Chair in Women in Management, Ivey Business School.

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. UQ Business School, University of Queensland, St. Lucia Campus, Queensland, 4072, Australia

      Yunxia Zhu

    2. Ivey Business School, Western University, 1255 Western Road, London, ON, N6G 0N1, Canada

      Alison M. Konrad

    3. Business School, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China

      Hao Jiao

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    1. Yunxia Zhu
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    Correspondence to Hao Jiao.

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    Yunxia Zhu, Alison M. Konrad, and Hao Jiao contributed equally to this work.

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    Zhu, Y., Konrad, A.M. & Jiao, H. Violation and activation of gender expectations: Do Chinese managerial women face a narrow band of acceptable career guanxi strategies?. Asia Pac J Manag 33, 53–86 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10490-015-9435-y

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    • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10490-015-9435-y

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