Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. Darcel Brady, Advisor
Dr. Cathy Anstrom, Reader
Project Type
EdD Colloquium - ONU
Scholarship Domain(s)
Scholarship of Discovery
Presentation Type
Presentation
Abstract
This study focused on women in leadership, and if weight was a consideration in their selection of a protégé. Two races were represented, Black and White, and five age groups (Total n = 87). A mixed methodology study was conducted to evaluate the data. Participants were asked to name traits deemed important for a mentee. The adjectives were quantified, themed and coded. A Fisher’s Exact Test was conducted to test the relationship between the themed word selection by race and by age. The Weight Implicit Association Test (IAT) was administered to capture implicit and explicit scores regarding weight. The range was from -3 indicating a strong preference for thin women, to +3 suggesting a strong preference for overweight women. Zero indicated no preference. Implicit bias for race was evaluated using a Mann-Whitney U test. A Kruskal Wallis H test analyzed implicit and explicit bias by age groups. An independent t-test was conducted to evaluate explicit bias for race. There was no statistically significant relationship between stated characteristics by age or race, nor when comparing race and age groups within implicit and explicit scores. However, the overall implicit mean score of -1.98, and an explicit mean of 0.17 indicated the participants had a slight to moderate implicit preference towards thin women yet believed they had very little explicit preference regarding weight. More research should be conducted on how women bypass an implicit preference to find proteges who embody their personal trait selection.
Permission Type
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Included in
Disability Studies Commons, Leadership Studies Commons, Other Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons, Training and Development Commons
Female Leaders And Their Beliefs Regarding Weightism When Selecting Protégés
Other
This study focused on women in leadership, and if weight was a consideration in their selection of a protégé. Two races were represented, Black and White, and five age groups (Total n = 87). A mixed methodology study was conducted to evaluate the data. Participants were asked to name traits deemed important for a mentee. The adjectives were quantified, themed and coded. A Fisher’s Exact Test was conducted to test the relationship between the themed word selection by race and by age. The Weight Implicit Association Test (IAT) was administered to capture implicit and explicit scores regarding weight. The range was from -3 indicating a strong preference for thin women, to +3 suggesting a strong preference for overweight women. Zero indicated no preference. Implicit bias for race was evaluated using a Mann-Whitney U test. A Kruskal Wallis H test analyzed implicit and explicit bias by age groups. An independent t-test was conducted to evaluate explicit bias for race. There was no statistically significant relationship between stated characteristics by age or race, nor when comparing race and age groups within implicit and explicit scores. However, the overall implicit mean score of -1.98, and an explicit mean of 0.17 indicated the participants had a slight to moderate implicit preference towards thin women yet believed they had very little explicit preference regarding weight. More research should be conducted on how women bypass an implicit preference to find proteges who embody their personal trait selection.