Role Congruity Theory
This study also examines the position of advertising creative at two levels within the organization, the junior level (junior creative) and the management level (creative director). In the advertising industry, while women accounted for 56 percent of the industry in 1995, they accounted for only 17 percent of executives making $200,000 or more (Elliot 1997). This study aims to examine whether bias against female creatives occurs equally at the junior level and at the creative director level.
The role congruity theory advanced by Eagley and Karau (2002) focuses on the differences between two roles, gender roles and leadership roles (Eagley and Karau 2002). Because males are typically thought to occupy and posses the skills for leadership roles, a potential prejudice occurs when females occupy the position. "Prejudice toward female leaders follows from the incongruity that many people perceive between the characteristics of women and the requirements of leader roles" (Eagley and Karau 2002, p. 574).
Role congruity theory also addresses the "injunctive norms of gender roles" (Eagley and Karau 2002, p. 576). Because leadership is not a typical social role for women, female participation in such a role can lead to negative evaluations due to the failure to meet the requirements of their gender role. "In thinking about female leaders, people would combine their largely divergent expectations about leaders and women, whereas in thinking about male leaders, people would combine highly redundant expectations," (Eagley and Karau 2002, p. 575). Research has shown that women who attain success in typically male occupations are less liked and more derogated than equally successful men (Heilman, Wallen, Fuchs and Tankins 2004). This disfavor can have negative effects on females' career outcomes, as women at the upper levels of management receive fewer promotions than comparable men (Heilman, Wallen, Fuchs and Tankins 2004). Research shows that "a woman's success can create new problems for her by instigating her social rejection" (Heilman, Wallen, Fuchs and Tankins 2004, p. 416).
Eagley and Karau (2002) propose that roles defined in particularly masculine terms can cause more incongruity with typically female social norms than more feminine roles. Roles with all male incumbents or all male employees are particularly incongruent for female social norms. Support for this has come through research showing that while it is likely that there will be negative bias against females who are successful in typically male occupations, this bias does not hold then a female is successful in a typically female occuation (Heilman, Wallen, Fuchs and Tankins 2004).