Showing anger in the office worse for women, study finds

by Rob Peters | August 7, 2008 at 11:15 am

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Ever notice that when women express anger at work, they're considered nasty shrews, but when men do it, they're assertive, driven, and passionate about their work? The double standard has negative consequences for working women, according to new research, as it suggests that females who are openly emotional at work are perceived as incompetent.

Actually I think that holds true for just about everywhere, not just workplaces. What's socially acceptable as "public emotions" is different for each sex. Showing anger is almost a good thing for guys, since it shows a an abundance of raging masculinity, whereas females are expected to suppress anger and kill them with kindness. On the flipside, though, a man who kills with kindness all the time is considered effeminate. Society sucks.

Most employees -- male or female -- would hesitate to yell at their superiors, but new research provides new evidence that women who show anger in the workplace are viewed as less competent -- while men are not.

In three studies, 463 men and women between 18 and 70 years old watched video of actors pretending to be job seekers or employers. The participants then wrote down which applicants should get the job, the type of responsibility they could handle and how high their salaries should be.

"We found that the women (on the tapes) who were judged as angry lost out in every category," says Victoria Brescoll, an assistant professor at Yale University's School of Management. She and Eric Uhlmann, a psychology professor at Northwestern University, conducted the research, published in the March issue of "Psychological Science."

"When women express anger at work, no matter what they do on the job, they can be seen as 'out of control' or are viewed in a negative light," Brescoll says.

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