Sex discrimination in managerial selection: Testing predictions of the vertical dyad linkage model

The behavior of 60 male and female students in soliciting volunteer leaders for a series of leadership experiments was studied. The solicitation behavior was consistent with the vertical dyad linkage leadership model which predicted that ingroup members would share more responsibilities and benefits with the leader/manager than would outgroup members. Members of the same sex were expected to be more frequently ingroup (operationalized as acquaintances). Results showed that same-sex acquaintances were solicited more often than cross-sex acquaintances. No sex discrimination was found when subjects solicited others who had not been previously known. Acquaintances were most frequently asked to volunteer on highly valued tasks and were more likely than nonacquaintances to agree to participate. The results are interpreted as demonstrating a bias in favor of aiding and promoting members one's own sex in managerial situations.A shorter version of this paper was presented at the meeting of the Academy of Management, Kansas City, 1976. The authors would like to thank Peter Weissenberg of the State University of New York School of Management for his helpful suggestions. This research was completed while the first author was a member of the Organizational Behavior group at State University of New York — Binghamton.