PRIDE 2018

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Women and Leadership

Why are women chosen to lead organisations in a crisis? (The following passage is from the BPS Research Digest, 2010).

The majority of major corporations and countries are headed by men. When women are appointed to leadership positions, it tends to be when an organisation is in crisis – a phenomenon known as the glass cliff. Recent examples include: the appointment of Lynn Elsenhans as CEO of the oil company Sunoco in 2008, just after their shares had halved in value; and the election of Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir as prime minister of Iceland, just after her country's economy had been crippled by the global recession (2012 update: or the appointment of Marissa Mayer as Yahoo CEO?).

Real life examples are supported by lab studies in which male and female participants show a bias for selecting female candidates to take charge of fictitious organisations in crisis. Further investigation has ruled out possible explanations for the glass cliff - it's not due to malicious sexism nor to women favouring such roles.

Now a brand new study suggests the phenomenon occurs firstly, because a crisis shifts people's stereotyped view of what makes for an ideal leader, and secondly, because men generally don't fit that stereotype. ‘…[I]t may not be so important for the glass cliff that women are stereotypically seen as possessing more of the attributes that matter in times of crisis,’ the researchers wrote, ‘but rather that men are seen as lacking these attributes …’.

Susanne Bruckmüller and Nyla Branscombe first established when the glass cliff is most likely to occur. They presented 119 male and female participants with different versions of newspaper articles about an organic food company. Participants were more likely to select a fictitious female candidate to take over the company if it was described as being in crisis, and its previous three leaders had all been male. For participants who read that the previous managers had all been female, the glass cliff disappeared - they were just as likely to select a fictitious male candidate to take over the crisis stricken firm as they were to select a female.

This finding suggests the glass cliff has to do with people believing that a change from the status quo (from male leaders to a female) is what's needed in a crisis. However, this explanation breaks down because the reverse pattern wasn't found. Participants didn’t show a bias for a male candidate to take over a crisis-stricken company that had had a run of three previous female leaders.

A second study explored the role of gender and leadership stereotypes and involved 122 male and female participants reading about a supermarket chain described either as thriving or in crisis. Next the participants rated their impression of two briefly described, fictitious managerial candidates, one male, one female, using attributes previously identified as being stereotypically male (e.g. competitive) or stereotypically female (e.g. strong communication skills). Finally, the participants rated the suitability of each candidate and stated which of them they'd hire.

In a successful context, the male candidate was judged to be more suitable for the role and was more likely to be selected – a replication of the bias seen in real life. More intriguing was that a crisis context led participants to attribute fewer stereotypically female attributes to the male candidate and to judge him as less suitable for the managerial role. Meanwhile, the crisis context didn't alter the qualities attributed to the female candidate, nor the perception of her suitability. Crucially, however, she was more likely to be selected in the crisis situation - you might say almost by default, given that the male candidate was now seen as being less suitable and having fewer appropriate attributes.

‘Our findings indicate that women find themselves in precarious leadership positions not because they are singled out for them, but because men no longer seem to fit,’ Bruckmüller and Branscombe explained. ‘There is, of course, a double irony here. When women get to enjoy the spoils of leadership (a) it is not because they are seen to deserve them, but because men no longer do, and (b) this only occurs when, and because, there are fewer spoils to enjoy.’


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Bruckmüller, S. & Branscombe, N. (2010). The glass cliff: When and why women are selected as leaders in crisis contexts. British Journal of Social Psychology, 49 (3), 433-451 DOI: 10.1348/014466609X466594

Post written by Christian Jarrett (@psych_writer) for the BPS Research Digest. Visit the DIGEST BLOG https://digest.bps.org.uk/ to search past items and discover more links.

Tourette's Syndrome - Tic Disorders

What is a tic?

A tic is an involuntary movement. A muscle or group of muscles move - tic - when you don't want them to or you make a noise or grunt rather like the throat-clearing some people do when they get nervous.

 

Tics can be divided into four categories. You can have:

 

1) A transient tic, which can be a movement or making a noise that lasts for more than four weeks but less than twelve. 

2) A chronic tic, which is either a movement or sound (but not both) that is present for more than a year.

3) Tourette's syndrome, which is movement and sounds together for more than a year.

4) A tic disorder (not otherwise specified) that does not fit into any of the other categories.

 

The classic picture of Tourette's syndrome often seen portrayed in films is the exception rather than the rule. The vast majority of children and adults have a variety of minor motor (movement) tics and/or vocal tics.

Although these motor and vocal tics are described as involuntary movements (you can't control them), they can to a certain extent be held back. Some sufferers can stop the tics for a period of time and release them when they are in the privacy of their own home. Therefore, it can come as something of a surprise for a teacher or employer to learn that a child or employee has a tic disorder. Some sufferers can disguise their tics by building them into what might be considered to be normal movements. However, holding back tics comes at a cost. Often when the child gets home his or her behaviour can become very disturbed or they suffer terrible guilt when they finally have to give in to the overwhelming urge.

History 

Tourette's Syndrome was originally described by Gilles de la Tourette as 'maladie des tics convulsifs avec coprolalie' (an illness of convulsive tics with the involuntary use of obscene words). The early documented cases of Tourette's syndrome were of adult patients and it was not until the 1930s that the tics were described in normal children. However, Tourette did note that as well as the involuntary movement tics, vocal tics and swearing, the disorder began in childhood, (usually between the ages of seven and ten), affected males more than females and was, in his opinion, hereditary. He also noted that the tics usually started in the face or upper extremities and that the symptoms waxed and waned and were made worse by stress. 





Disorders associated with Tourette's Syndrome

Some common signs of Tourette's are:

- excessive blinking

- head turning

- throat-clearing

- grimacing

- grunting

- squeaking

- one-sided facial tics

- eyes rolling up



The cause of Tourette's

The exact cause of Tourette's syndrome is unknown, but it appears to be linked to the gene or genes that control certain neurotransmitters, notably dopamine and serotonin. Where these symptoms begin not only goes a long way towards explaining the underlying cause but also presents an opportunity to provide effective treatment. About a third of people with the disorder have relatives with Tourette's syndrome, while another third have family members with milder tic disorders. There is also more obsessive-compulsive disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in families of people with Tourette's syndrome. Further, because Tourette's is much more frequent in men, the role of hormones has been considered and it has been suggested that the male foetus might be vulnerable to a spike in the female hormone oestrogen from the mother, during a specific stage during pregnancy.

What makes tics worse?
- Just talking about a person's tics - or habits as they are often called - in front of them can set off motor (movement) tics in seconds.
- Being overtired can make a big difference to the occurrence of tics. Children are often worse at the end of term.
- Lack of sleep can cause an upsurge in symptoms.
- Drinking alcohol can make symptoms worse the next day.
- Stress is certainly a big factor. In children the build-up to exams or in adults the period leading up to a big presentation can see an increase in symptoms.
- Diet has also been implicated on numerous occasions. The Mental Health Foundation has suggested that food additives and insufficient omega-3 can play a role in the generation of anxiety and signs of ADHD.

What helps reduce tics?
- Being distracted by something enjoyable or engaging in an activity (e.g. playing piano) can see a complete cessation of tics.
- Getting enough sleep and taking exercise in the fresh air can help prevent a build-up.
- Taking alcohol in moderation.
- A healthy diet as free from artificial sweeteners and additives as possible has been shown to help.
- Supplementing your diet with omega-3 can also provide significant benefits.
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~ The above is from Pauc, R. (2008) Could It Be You? , a well worth reading book for anyone interested in the area of learning difficulties. It's written in a very reader friendly format, detailed but not too taxing on the mind, and covers a range of issues from dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD, OCD, Tourette's syndrome, and autism. Recommended.  

Farming in rural Ireland

In Ireland it is common for rates of depression to be highly prevalent in rural areas of the country. One population that are vulnerable are men, particularly farmers who may spend much of their time in isolation tending to their lands and livestock. A tough job to be involved in especially considering the long hours involving little human interaction.

 

Many middle-age men living in rural Ireland who spend the majority of their time farming may often have inherited the farm from their parents. Consequently, they may never have got married due to the amount of time they had to invest in the duties of farming life. Although no one is too old to find a partner, bachelors like these may feel that their time has passed and that there is little chance or time to pursue meeting someone.

 

The 'pickings' may be slimmer if a farmers only dealings with other people are other local farmers, employees in cattle marts and creameries, or vets making visits to the farm to check on animals and so forth. So much so has this combination of depression and isolation been recognised that some veterinarians are even being trained to spot the signs of depression in people they deal with. 

 

It's an extremely relevant issue in Ireland today and has been for a long time. The topic was recently examined in a 2013 film called Pilgrim Hill . It depicts the life of an Irish cattle farmer, living alone with his invalided father in a remote Irish location.

I'd highly recommend a viewing. It captures the forgotten side of rural Ireland and the tragic sense of what is often involved for some men working in the Irish farming industry today.

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The Irish Times (in a four-star review): "Barrett's debut feature is a quietly stunning slice of rural naturalism. A masterful debut."