THINK MANAGER - THINK MALE - A GLOBAL PHENOMENON

The relationship between sex role stereotypes and characteristics perc eived as necessary for management success was examined among 361 male and 228 female management students in Japan and the People's Republic of China. The results revealed that males and females in both countrie s perceive that successful middle managers possess characteristics, at titudes and temperaments more commonly ascribed to men in general than to women in general.These results were compared with previous studies done in the U.S., Great Britain and Germany, using the same Schein 92 -item Descriptive Index, and similar samples and procedures, The compa rison supports the view that 'think manager-think male' is a global ph enomenon, especially among males. Regardless of country context, there was a strong and similar degree of managerial sex typing among male m anagement students in all five countries, Among females, the manageria l sex typing hypothesis was confirmed in every country except the U.S. , in which men and women are seen as equally likely to possess requisi te management characteristics. Unlike those of their male counterparts , the females' pattern of outcomes varied across countries, possibly a reflection of their respective opportunities for managerial participa tion. The implications of managerial sex typing as a global phenomenon are discussed.