How women manage impressions at work in India, unlike western and other cultures.

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A new perspective on how women manage impressions at work in India. 9 September 2021, Bangalore – A recent research paper theorizes that the perception of jobs as masculine or feminine alongside individual attitudes towards gender stereotypes shape the ways in which Indian women practice impression management in the workplace. Proposed by Dr Apurva Sanaria, Assistant Professor at Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB), the study reveals how ingrained gender stereotypes entrench gender inequality in the workplace. It then provides a framework to explain factors, such as the nature of the job and attitudes toward gender stereotypes, influence the impression management strategies that Indian women practice in the workplace. Dr. Sanaria’s paper is the first of its kind that provides insight into the unique Indian context for impression management strategies, which are tactics used to manage the impressions people form about behavior, motivation, intelligence, and future potential, among other qualities. They range from hard strategies—which are direct and aggressive, such as self-promotion and intimidation—to soft techniques which are indirect and subtle, such as ingratiation and supplication. Strategies that are stereotypically gendered as hard ones are seen as “masculine” while soft ones are labelled “feminine”. The paper proposes that whether a job is seen as stereotypically masculine (such as leadership positions) or feminine (such as teaching and nursing) and an individual’s own attitude towards gender stereotypes - whether they are likely to challenge or accept them - heavily influence the type of impression management strategies used by Indian working women. “My framework also shows that unlike western cultures, Indian women are much more likely to use impression management strategies as compared to men”, Dr Sanaria said. “This is primarily because India is a highly unequal country with a high social acceptance of these inequalities. But the country is simultaneously witnessing the growth of an emerging women’s movement and their achievements as successful entrepreneurs, employees, and business owners” . The research contributes to the knowledge of how gender stereotypes manifest themselves in the workplace, and give employers and policy-makers a further impetus to shape an equal and inclusive work environment.

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