Recognizing gender role congruity in newly appointed CEOs’ strategic risk-taking

Abstract

Role congruity theory suggests that men and women are perceived according to their gendered roles and may avoid violating expectations based on those roles. However, little is known about what enables individuals to recognize these gendered expectations, particularly in difficult-to-attain positions such as the CEO role. This study theorizes that men and women recognize expected roles related to risk-taking differently depending on their executive experience and age, leading them to act congruently with those expected roles. Drawing on data on newly appointed CEOs from the S&P 1500, this study contributes to role congruity theory by identifying executive experience and age as pathways through which CEOs recognize and respond to gendered expectations surrounding strategic risk-taking.