About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

17 Duke J. Gender L. & Pol'y 363 (2010)
Likeability v. Competence: The Impossible Choice Faced by Female Politicians, Attenuated by Lawyers

handle is hein.journals/djglp17 and id is 371 raw text is: LIKEABILITY V. COMPETENCE: THE IMPOSSIBLE CHOICE FACED BY FEMALE POLITICIANS, ATTENUATED BY LAWYERS ANDREA KUPFER SCHNEIDER* CATHERINE H. TINSLEY** SANDRA CHELDELIN*** EMILY T. AMANATULLAH**** The 2008 election highlighted a dilemma often faced by women in the professional world-a double bind between being perceived as competent or as likeable. Both qualities are imperative for success but the incongruity of normative female roles (warm, nurturing) with characteristics perceived necessary for professional success (independence, assertiveness) means that women are either seen as likeable, but incompetent, or as competent, but unlikeable. Wherever you fell along the political spectrum, it is clear that Hillary Clinton's historic candidacy for the Presidency of the United States followed by Sarah Palin's candidacy for Vice-President provided a unique lens for considering how gender is viewed in our culture. Of course, Clinton's loss in the Democratic primary and Paln's (and McCain's) loss in the election was determined by multiple factors specific to their personalities and their campaigns. Yet, the election coverage demonstrated what workplace and social science research have shown for years: women face unique constraints when trying to be successful in traditionally masculine domains. Characteristics such as independence, assertiveness, self-reliance, and power are thought of as masculine, and therefore, properly in the domain of male behavior, whereas characteristics such as warmth, communality, caring, and helpfulness are thought of as feminine. An assertive, powerful female whose characteristics and behavior violate expectations created by the core female stereotype threatens societal conventions of how women ought to behave and results in backlash. Women seem to face a choice of being seen as likeable or as competent, but not as both. Interestingly, lawyers do not seem plagued by this same double bind. After reviewing election coverage and social science research, this Article * Professor of Law, Marquette University Law School. I would like to thank the participants in the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School Faculty Research Seminar and the Marquette University Works-in-Progress seminar for their very helpful comments on this article. ** Professor, McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University. Vernon M. and Minnie I. Lynch Professor, Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, George Mason University. **** Assistant Professor, McCombs School of Business, The University of Texas at Austin.

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most