This inversion of gender stereotypes has been largely unaccounted for in studies on gender-typed employment and it suggests that sexual orientation should have an effect on perceptions of individuals engaged in gender-typed work.
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According to implicit inversion theory, gay men are perceived to be highly feminine and low in masculinity ( Kite and Deaux, 1987). Past studies have demonstrated that gender stereotypes of gay men tend to be in the opposite direction of those about heterosexual men (e.g., Blashill and Powlishta, 2009). Men employed in female-typed jobs are viewed as ineffectual and undeserving of respect ( Heilman and Wallen, 2010).
![gay men fashion stereotypes gay men fashion stereotypes](https://compote.slate.com/images/d07df89f-bd73-4af7-9cd3-13d17fc932e1.jpg)
Women employed in male-typed jobs are assumed to be less competent than their male counterparts ( Heilman et al., 2004). For instance, negative appraisals result when an individual engages in an occupation that is perceived to be incongruent with the traits and attributes associated with that individual's gender ( Heilman, 1983 Eagly and Karau, 2002 Heilman et al., 2004 Heilman and Wallen, 2010). Studies have also demonstrated that bias or prejudice manifests within the context of gender-typed work.
![gay men fashion stereotypes gay men fashion stereotypes](https://mediaproxy.salon.com/width/1200/https://media.salon.com/2010/05/anthony_marantino_mario_cantone_and_sanford_willie_garson_in.jpg)
Such actions may be viewed as legitimizing bias against members of the LGBTQ+ community and creating a climate in which employment discrimination against members of that community becomes normative. In an interview with the New Yorker, President Trump joked that Vice President Pence “wants to hang all gays” ( Amatulli, 2017). The issue of prejudice against gay men is made all the more poignant with the current administration in the United States openly opposing gay rights explicitly urging the courts to find that the Title VII protections against employment discrimination do not prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation ( Barbash, 2017). Research has evidenced employment discrimination faced by gay men ( Horvath and Ryan, 2003 Drydakis, 2015). The implications of these findings are discussed. The gay male applicant, however, was rated similarly on all criteria across job gender-types, suggesting the gay male applicant was viewed as androgynous rather than high in femininity and low in masculinity as inferred by implicit inversion theory. The heterosexual male was rated less effectual, less respect-worthy, and less hirable in the female-typed job condition than in the male-typed job condition. Therefore, we carried out an experiment where 128 adults with experience in recruitment and selection, recruited through Qualtrics, rated heterosexual and gay male applicants applying for a gender-typed job. The majority of studies in this area have, however, failed to account for the sexual orientation of the individual being rated. Men employed in jobs traditionally held by women are perceived as wimpy and undeserving of respect.
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The lack of fit model and role congruity theory explain how gender stereotypes give rise to the perception that an individual lacks the attributes necessary to be successful in a gender-incongruent job. Research demonstrates the bias faced by individuals engaged in occupations that are perceived as inconsistent with their gender. 2Faculty of Business Administration, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St.Cofrin School of Business, University of Wisconsin, Green Bay, WI, United States