Conceptualizing Sex as a Status Characteristic: Applications to Leadership Training Strategies

Abstract

Differences in activity, influence, and task orientation between males and females have been noted in small group research and have been attributed to differences in sex‐role socialization. Similar differences in behavior are predicted from the formal theory of status characteristics and expectation states; methods for improving the imbalance in power and prestige between males and females in work groups are also derivable from the theory. This paper characterizes sex as a status characteristic, presents data supportive of the characterization, and offers suggestions for remedying the noted imbalance.