Aspirations to top management over five decades: a shifting role of gender?

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine linkages of gender and gender-related variables to aspirations to top management over a period spanning five decades. Design/methodology/approach During each of the past five decades, samples from two early-career populations (n = 2131), undergraduate business students and part-time (evening) MBAs, completed an aspirations to top management measure and described themselves on an instrument that assessed self-ascribed masculinity and femininity. Findings Aspirations to top management were predicted by respondent gender for undergraduates, with women's aspirations lower than those of men, and by masculinity for both populations. Suggesting a shifting role of gender, undergraduate women's aspirations to top management declined during the 21st century, whereas undergraduate men's aspirations did not. Practical implications Any decline in early-career women's aspirations to top management over a sustained period may contribute in the long run to perpetuating the under-representation of women in top management. Originality/value The finding of a striking decline in women's aspirations to top management during the 21st century in an early-career population is an original contribution to the gender in management literature.

Automated summary

The purpose of this study is to examine the linkages between gender and gender-related variables to aspirations to top management over a period spanning five decades. The findings suggest that women have lower aspirations to top management compared to men in undergraduate business students, and aspirations to top management are influenced by masculinity for both populations. Furthermore, the study reveals a declining trend in undergraduate women's aspirations to top management during the 21st century, while undergraduate men's aspirations remain stable. These findings contribute to the understanding of the impact of gender on the management field.