Kamala Harris’ hidden foe: pervasive bias against powerful middle-aged women - Berkeley News

Researchers at UC Berkeley find that women who rise through the ranks and succeed win our respect.

But these leaders also defy deep-rooted stereotypes — and we penalize them because we see them as less warm, less nurturing.

Researchers at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business have detailed how widely held, but often subconscious, stereotypes create a clear vulnerability for middle-aged professional women.

Jennifer Chatman : Women are going to be suspected of all of these low-warmth behaviors, even if it's not true about them.

She says women need to be very careful in how they reveal their vulnerability or their humanity.

Chatman says humor and laughing is a great way to do so. Not laughing at people, but showing joy and enthusiasm are appealing attributes.

Stereotypes actually help us. It would be too cognitively costly if we had to think about what all the features of that person or object are.

The problem is that stereotypes are over-applied. The sociological reason is perhaps even more insidious. There are established power hierarchies, and the powerful are never motivated to give up their power.