Why Passion Helps Men Get Ahead and Holds Women Back
New INFORMS Organization Science Study Key Takeaways:
- Gender Disparity: Men are 20%-30% more likely than women to be labeled as “high potential” for leadership programs, a bias that persists even when passion and performance levels are similar.
- Double Standard: Women are penalized for showing passion because it is perceived as less appropriate for leadership, putting them at a disadvantage.
- Rewarding Passion for Men: Moderately high-performing men are rewarded for their passion, which is seen as a sign of diligence and commitment, significantly increasing their chances of being designated as “high potential.”
BALTIMORE, MD, February 12, 2025 – Passion is often touted as a hallmark of leadership potential, but a new study published in the INFORMS journal Organization Science reveals that it does not benefit everyone equally. Gender stereotypes, the study shows, skew perceptions of passion in ways that disadvantage women while rewarding men.
“Passion is one criterion that managers often use to evaluate leadership potential, but our findings show that gender stereotypes distort how passion is perceived,” says Joyce He, lead author and an assistant professor at the Anderson School of Management at UCLA. “This double standard unfairly disadvantages women and perpetuates workplace inequities.”
The study, “Passion Penalizes Women and Advantages Men in High-Potential Designations,” reveals that men are 20%-30% more likely than women to be labeled as “high-potential” employees – a designation that can fast-track careers – a bias that persists even when their passion and performance levels are comparable. This research sheds light on how gender stereotypes influence leadership evaluations, offering actionable insights for organizations seeking to build more inclusive and diverse leadership teams.
The Gendered Double Standard
The research highlights a troubling pattern: When men express passion for their work, they are perceived as more diligent and committed, increasing their likelihood of being seen as future leaders. In contrast, women displaying the same passion are often labeled as overly emotional, making them less likely to be deemed high potential.
“Men, especially those with solid but not exceptional performance, were more likely to be rewarded for their passion, as it made them seem more hardworking,” says He. “Women, on the other hand, faced skepticism, with their passion being interpreted as less professional.”
Using data from a major engineering firm and experiments involving more than 2,100 participants, the study demonstrates how subjective criteria like passion can unintentionally reinforce gender inequities, even in organizations committed to fairness.
“Organizations claim to value passion, but this research shows that it’s not evaluated equally for men and women,” says Jon Jachimowicz, co-author and assistant professor at Harvard Business School. “This passion double standard can hold women back and prevent workplaces from building truly gender-diverse leadership pipelines.”
What Organizations Can Do
To address these inequities, the researchers recommend that organizations:
- Focus on measurable achievements and objective criteria in evaluations.
- Train managers to recognize and counteract gender bias.
- Anonymize parts of the evaluation process to ensure fairness.
About INFORMS and Organization Science
INFORMS is the world’s largest association for professionals and students in operations research, AI, analytics, data science and related disciplines, serving as a global authority in advancing cutting-edge practices and fostering an interdisciplinary community of innovation. Organization Science, a leading INFORMS journal, publishes innovative research on strategy, management and organizational theory. INFORMS empowers its community to enhance organizational performance and drive data-driven decision-making through its journals and resources. Learn more at www.informs.org or @informs.
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Ashley Smith
443-757-3578
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Ashley Smith
Public Affairs Coordinator
INFORMS
Catonsville, MD
[email protected]
443-757-3578