Truth to Power

Russian President Vladimir Putin and pop star Taylor Swift both appear on Forbes’ “World’s Most Powerful People” list. But while men like Putin are more typically linked to power, women like Swift are more associated with status, according to new research published in the journal Psychological Science.

“We found deeply held stereotypes in how we recognize leaders—whether they are leading a company or running for president,” says lead researcher Charlotte (Charlie) Townsend, PhD 24.

Townsend, working with Professor Laura Kray and Sonya Mishra, PhD 23 (now an assistant professor at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business), used Forbes’ “most powerful” lists to test how men and women are viewed differently in terms of power and status—and the implications of these stereotypes.

In one experiment, participants rated men on the Forbes list higher in power but lower in status compared to the women, while they rated the women higher in status than men. What’s more, says Kray, “We pay more attention to high-status women like Taylor Swift and high-power men like Jeff Bezos and less attention to high-power women like General Motors CEO Mary Barra.” 

The researchers then found that “powerful” men on the Forbes list garnered more media mentions and followers, while “powerful” women had fewer. Conversely, women rated as “high status” had more media mentions and social media followers compared with high-status men.

In a final experiment, women reported feeling less powerful than men but more status oriented. Yet both men and women reported similar desires for power and status.

Another recent study by Mishra and Kray found that women going after power are more likely to face a backlash than those seeking status in addition to power. “Power-seeking women are seen to violate feminine stereotypes,” Mishra explains.

While both power and status are important, social status tends to be more fragile and more easily taken away, Kray says. Those with status also are often expected to be fair and kind, limiting their ability to use power, she adds.  

“Unfortunately, this further entrenches the stereotype that women’s power must be limited to being highly respected, while men’s power encompasses tangible control over resources,” Kray says.