| Abstrakt: |
Previous research shows that voice pitch plays a significant role in leadership selection (Mayew et al., 2013) and that more masculine traits, including voice pitch, are typically associated with successful individuals in leadership roles. The present study extended prior research by examining how sex and gender characteristics of voices influence the perception of leadership qualities within a military environment. Specifically, the design of the study was a 2 (sex of voice: male, female) x 2 (gender of voice: masculinized, feminized) x 2 (sex of participant; man, woman) mixed model design, with the sex and gender of voice serving as the within subjects factors, sex of participant as a between subjects factor, and ratings of military leadership potential serving as the dependent variable. Results from an analysis of variance showed that participants rated men's voices significantly higher than women's voices for leadership potential. However, feminine voices were rated significantly higher than masculine voices. Additionally, there was a significant interaction between sex of voice and gender of voice that showed that the masculine female voice received the lowest ratings of leadership potential. Male participants also provided lower ratings on average to all voices when compared to female participants. We discuss these findings in terms of gender role congruity and the influence of androgyny and gender norms on perceptions of women's leadership potential in a male-dominated, hierarchical environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
