Gender and Style in Bureaucracy

In: Women & politics, Band 10, Heft 4, S. 67-120

Abstract

Using data from a questionnaire completed by Wisc professional & executive civil servants (N = 389), the gendered nature of Weberian bureaucracy is examined. Analysis of respondents' behavioral styles & views of the ideal bureaucrat shows that the preferred style is gender neutral with equal value placed on feminine & masculine characteristics. Both sexes cross gender stereotypes in their behavioral styles, as well as in their perceptions of good administrators & colleagues. Women shun traits with negative connotations, while endorsing those important for achieving results in an agreeable manner. Men, in contrast, adopt more traits of both genders with potentially negative connotations, attending more to hierarchy, competition, opportunism, & power games. Adapted from the source document.