While men and women are both considered to be more capable as they get older, only women bear the brunt of being seen as “less warm” as they age, new research has found. This series of studies is reportedly the first to look at both gender and age to determine how perceptions of women and men differ. “It’s just stunning. . . These stereotypes are so hard-wired and deeply entrenched that they come out even when absolutely identical information is provided about a man and a woman,” Jennifer Chatman, Distinguished Professor of Management at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, said. In an analysis of professors’ evaluations, female professors witnessed a decline as they moved from their 30s to 40s, hitting an all-time low around the age of 47. All this while, the evaluation of male professors remained consistent. Interestingly, after the age of 47, the evaluations for women increased again, becoming equal with those of men around the early 60s. “At that point, there are different stereotypes of women, and they may benefit from being seen as more grandmotherly,” said Laura Kray, faculty director of the Center for Equity, Gender, and Leadership at Berkeley Haas and an author of the study.
Women around the age of mid 30s to late 40s also face what is called “the motherhood penalty,” where assumptions around parenting duties lead people to believe women are less committed to their careers than men. This has several repercussions, most particularly evident in hiring, promotions and wages. Women executives further pointed out that they face “hyper-scrutiny” and “scepticism” which harks back to perceptions of likeability versus agency. Gendered networks in the workplace, with men gaining greater access to senior leaders, become cemented mid-career, pose another difficulty for working women. Negative perceptions of women in middle-age can also be linked to stereotypes around menopause. In 2008, psychologists studied the attitudes of people towards women in different reproductive stages. They found that while the pregnant woman or the woman with the baby were thought about in glowing terms, menopausal women were associated with negative emotions, illness and ageing.
[Extracted, with edits and revisions, from “How Stereotypes Affect Middle-Aged Women’s Careers”, by Ananya Singh, The Swaddle]
Which of the following, if true, would most weaken Laura Kray’s arguments?
Correct Answer :
Women professors perceived as being ‘grandmotherly’ are regarded as being slow, inefficient, and outdated in their field.
Solution :
Correct Answer: Women professors perceived as being ‘grandmotherly’ are regarded as being slow, inefficient, and outdated in their field.
Explanation:
In the passage, Laura Kray suggests that the rise in student evaluations for female professors after the age of 47 occurs because women at that age "may benefit from being seen as more grandmotherly." This argument relies on the premise that being perceived as "grandmotherly" is a positive attribute that helps improve their ratings/evaluations.
To weaken Laura Kray's argument, we need a statement that shows that being perceived as "grandmotherly" does not provide a benefit to female professors or is actually seen negatively in an academic environment.
Evaluating the options:
• Women professors perceived as being ‘grandmotherly’ are regarded as being slow, inefficient, and outdated in their field: If "grandmotherly" carries these strongly negative professional connotations, then female professors would not benefit from this perception in their evaluations. This directly undermines and weakens Laura Kray's explanation.
• Women professors perceived as being ‘grandmotherly’ are regarded as being likeable and caring: This strengthens Laura Kray's argument by providing a reason why the "grandmotherly" perception leads to higher evaluations.
• Women professors perceived as being ‘grandmotherly’ are treated better by their colleagues and students: This also strengthens the argument by showing positive outcomes associated with being seen as grandmotherly.
• Women professors perceived as being ‘grandmotherly’ are regarded very highly and receive much more respect than younger women professors: This further supports the claim that the grandmotherly perception works to their advantage.
Therefore, the option stating that grandmotherly professors are regarded as slow, inefficient, and outdated is the one that most weakens Laura Kray's argument.
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