Gender, race, and power: Unpacking the dynamics of workplace perceptions

Do powerful poses affect how we perceive professional women, and does race play a role in these perceptions? A recent study delves into the dynamics of gender, race, and nonverbal displays of power within the workplace, revealing that White women in high-power poses are perceived as more masculine and less feminine compared to Black women in the poses, potentially influencing their career advancement opportunities. These findings have been published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.

The motivation behind this study stems from a long history of gendered racial stereotypes that have distinctly shaped societal perceptions of women based on their racial background. The researchers aimed to understand how these stereotypes influence the interpretation of nonverbal displays of power, such as body language, in the workplace. With a focus on the intersectionality of race and gender, the study sought to explore whether Black and White women receive different responses when they exhibit behaviors traditionally associated with power and leadership.

“Displays of power are particularly important in the workplace. When people observe someone expressing powerful bodily displays, we know they often assume that person is competent and holds a higher status, which could open doors for career advancement (Hall et al., 2005),” explained study co-authors Quang-Anh Ngo Tran (a PhD student at Indiana University Bloomington) and Erin Cooley (an associate professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Colgate University).

“However, the way power is perceived can also impact how sexism is expressed. Considering historical stereotypes portraying White women as fragile and delicate, and Black women as strong and powerful, we reasoned that powerful poses might be seen differently based on race. If so, subtle displays of power through body position may have lasting effects on some women’s careers.”

The research team designed a multi-phase approach, beginning with a pilot study and followed by three subsequent studies, each building on the insights gained from the previous.

Free daily newsletter

In the pilot study, the researchers aimed to establish a foundational understanding of how high-power and low-power poses are perceived in terms of masculinity and femininity, independent of race and gender. To achieve this, they presented participants with sketches of figures in high- and low-power poses that were intentionally devoid of any racial or gender identifiers.

A total of 109 participants were recruited for this phase. They were asked to rate the sketches on perceived masculinity and femininity, using a scale that also included traits traditionally associated with each gender. The findings confirmed that high-power poses are generally perceived as more masculine compared to low-power poses.

Building on these findings, Studies 1 and 2 involved showing participants images of Black and White women adopting both high- and low-power poses. These images were carefully selected from the Chicago Face Database to ensure consistency in attractiveness and femininity across the racial groups depicted.

In Study 1, 508 participants evaluated these images within a hypothetical corporate setting, rating each on perceived masculinity and femininity. Study 2 extended this framework by including 512 participants and adding measures to assess the expression of ambivalent sexism (both hostile and benevolent) towards the women in the images, as well as their perceived hiring desirability.

The researchers found that White women in high-power poses were consistently perceived as more masculine and less feminine than Black women in the same poses. This differential perception suggests that high-power poses, traditionally associated with masculinity and dominance, are seen as more congruent with Black women’s expected social roles than with White women’s.

Additionally, White women in high-power poses not only faced more hostile sexism but were also deemed less desirable as hires compared to Black women in similar poses. This suggests that the violation of traditional gender norms by White women, as signaled through high-power poses, elicited more negative reactions in terms of sexism and professional evaluation.

The final phase, Study 3, sought to further contextualize these findings by examining the impact of job status on perceptions and sexism expressions. This study focused exclusively on high-power poses and introduced a manipulation of job status (high vs. low) to see if this would influence the outcomes. A total of 519 participants viewed the same kind of images but were told that the women were applying for either a high-status job (corporate executive) or a low-status job (administrative assistant).

The results confirmed the previous findings across job statuses, underscoring that the biases observed were not confined to specific types of jobs. Moreover, the researchers attempted to control for socially desirable responding, aiming to ensure that the expressed preferences were not merely attempts to avoid appearing racist. Despite this control, the preference for hiring Black women over White women persisted.

“Black women have different sexist experiences than do White women (Crenshaw, 2017; Hooks, 1989),” Tran and Cooley told PsyPost. “Expanding on these insights, we found that our (mostly White) samples’ judgments of Black and White women differed based on subtle body cues associated with displaying power. Specifically, White women exhibiting powerful bodily displays (e.g., a wide stance and their hands on their hip) were evaluated as more masculine than Black women engaging in the same displays.

“Increased perceptions of the masculinity of the women were, in turn, associated with increased expressions of hostile sexism and reduced interest in hiring those women. We concluded that White (vs. Black) women may be expected to be more feminine, leading displays of power to be perceived as a greater violation of their gender roles; as a result, they may experience more hostile sexism when in powerful poses.”

“It is also important to note that women of both races experienced more hostile sexism when in high-power (vs. low-power) poses; this effect was just more pronounced for White women,” Tran and Cooley noted.

Looking ahead, the researchers have pinpointed three areas for future investigation, aiming to unravel the complexities of gender, race, and power dynamics within professional settings.

“First, given the strong relationship between power and leadership, how can we change corporate culture in a way that leaves space for women to convey power without such backlash?” Tran and Cooley said. “For example, what strategies can organizations adopt to minimize the influence of sexism in their recruitment processes and create more inclusive environments once women are hired? Raising awareness about such biases is important, but it is equally important to know how we can combat these biases.”

“Second, are some observers more likely to negatively evaluate White women conveying power than others? Our samples were predominantly White people; thus, it is possible that White observers are most likely to negatively evaluate White women engaging in powerful bodily displays-perhaps as a way to maintain the gender status-quo within their race.”

“Finally, do these findings extend to other marginalized groups beyond Black and White women?” the researchers continued. “For example, Asian women often have been perceived as hyper-feminine in the U.S. Would they be evaluated as violating their gender roles to a particularly extreme degree, and thus experience more extreme hostile sexism (vs. what White or Black women might experience) if they engage in powerful displays?”

This study sheds light on the subtle yet significant ways in which nonverbal communication can reinforce or challenge stereotypes at the intersection of race and gender. By highlighting how stereotypes and biases can influence the evaluation of professional women, the research not only sheds light on the challenges faced by Black and White women in the corporate world but also calls for a more nuanced understanding and approach to addressing these issues.

“Today, women remain underrepresented in many industries within the workforce,” Tran and Cooley said. “Our work highlights how gendered racial stereotypes may shape professional evaluations of White and Black women, contributing to a deeper understanding of the challenges women face in ascending status. We hope the insights we provided are helpful for thinking about how we might change corporate culture to support women to ascend to powerful positions without backlash.”

The study, “Racialized Sexism: Nonverbal Displays of Power in Workplace Settings are Evaluated as More Masculine When Displayed by White (vs. Black) Women With Implications for the Expression of Ambivalent Sexism,” was authored by Quang-Anh Ngo Tran, Erin Cooley, Jaclyn A. Lisnek, Jazmin L. Brown-Iannuzzi, and William Cipolli.