Gender differences in leadership style, job stress and mental health in male- and female-dominated industries

A number of writers have suggested that when men dominate numerically in an industry, women in that industry experience pressure to alter their leader ship style, which in turn impacts on their mental health. These assertions, based largely on limited research findings and anecdotal evidence, were te sted empirically. Specifically, the study investigated the impact of workin g in either a male- or female-dominated industry on the leadership style, s tress levels and mental health of 60 women and 60 men managers. As hypothes ized, women and men in male-dominated industries did not differ in interper sonal orientation, whereas in female-dominated industries women were more i nterpersonally oriented than men; Consistent with predictions, women did re port more pressure from their jobs than men, with women in male-dominated i ndustries reporting the highest level of pressure from;discrimination, Alth ough there was no overall difference between women and men's mental health, there was a difference in the pattern of relationships between leadership style and mental health. Women in male-dominated industries reported worse mental health when they utilized an interpersonally oriented leadership sty le, whereas men in male-dominated industries reported better mental health when they utilized such a leadership style. These findings suggest that bot h gender and the gender ratio of the industry influence leadership style, s tress and mental health, and as such contribute to our understanding of the barriers to women working in senior management roles in male-dominated ind ustries.