Abstract
This paper revisits the issue of gender stereotypes in sales professions given new views of what makes for effective sales performance and sales management. Women's continued disadvantaged position in the sales profession is documented, and the role of gender role stereotypes in sustaining this situation in the profession is examined. The paper then turns to the newly emerging, ostensibly "pro-female", view of sales. This emphasises the importance of building and sustaining relationships – qualities that women have traditionally been stereotyped as "good" at. Despite the positive emphasis accorded to women's skills in this new sales landscape, the ethical problems which arise from constructing this debate around the issue of gender are explored. In particular, the extent to which the view of women as "good at relationships" constitutes a stereotype is examined, and the value of this stereotype for redressing women's disadvantaged position from the perspectives of justice and utility is set out. In the final part of the paper we look at potential avenues for future theory and research which may help bring into focus a new view of gender role stereotypes in sales.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
American Salesman: 1993, '26 Per Cent of U.S. Sales People are Women’, 38(8), 8-9.
Anderson, E. and R. L. Oliver: 1987, ‘Perspectives on Behaviour-Based Versus Outcome-Based Salesforce Control Systems’, Journal of Marketing(October), 76-88.
Babakus, E., D. W. Cravens, M. Johnston and W. C. Moncrief: 1996, ‘Examining the Role of Organizational Variables in the Salesperson Job Satisfaction Model’, Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management 16(3), 33-42.
Brister, J. M. and E. Fischer: 1993, ‘Feminist Thought: Implications for Consumer Research’ Journal of Consumer Research 19, 518-536.
Broadbridge, A.: 1995, ‘Female and Male Earnings Differentials in Retailing’, Services Industries Journal 15(1), 435-454.
Broadbridge, A.: 1997, ‘Why Earnings Differentials are Different for Men and Women in Retailing’, Services Industries Journal 17(2), 221-236.
Brockbank, A. and J. Traves: 1996, ‘Career Aspirations-Women Managers in Retailing’, in S. Ledwith and F. Colgan (eds.), Women in Organisations: Challenging Gender Politics(Macmillan, London), pp. 78-98.
Burke, R.J. and S. Black: 1997, ‘Save the Males: Backlash in Organizations’, Journal of Business Ethics 16, 933-942.
Carrier, S.: 1995, ‘Family Status and Career Situation for Professional Women’, Work, Employment and Society 9(2), 343-358.
Cole, E. B. and S. Coultrap-McQuin: 1992, ‘Toward a Feminist Conception of Moral Life’, in E. B. Cole and S. Coultrap-McQuin (eds.), Explorations in Feminist Ethics(Indiana University Press, Bloomington).
Collinson, D. and J. Hearn: 1994, ‘Naming Men as Men: Implications for Work, Organisation and Management’, Gender, Work and Organisation 1(1), 2-22.
Comer, L. B. and T. Drollinger: 1997, ‘Looking Inside the Glass Walls: The Case of Women on the Industrial Sales Force’, Equal Opportunities International 16(4), 1-18.
Comer, L. B. and M. A. Jolson: 1991, ‘Perceptions of Gender Stereotypic Behaviour: An Exploratory Study of Women in Selling’, Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management 11(1), 43-59.
Comer, L. B., J. Nicholls and L. Vermillion: 1998, ‘Diversity in the Sales Force: Problems and Challenges’, Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management 18(4), 1-20.
Comer, L. B., M. A. Jolson, A. J. Dubinsky and F. J. Yammarino: 1995, ‘When the Sales Manager is a Woman: An Exploration into the Relationship Between Salespeople's Gender and Their Responses to Leadership Styles’, Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management 15(4), 17-33.
Crampton, S. M. and J. M. Mishra: 1999, ‘Women in Management’, Public Personnel Management 28(1) 87-106.
Cravens, D. W.: 1995, ‘The Changing Role of the Salesforce’, Marketing Management(Summer), 49-57.
Cravens, D. W., T. N. Ingram, R. W. LaForge and C. E. Young: 1993, ‘Behaviour-Based and Outcome-Based Salesforce Control Systems’, Journal of Marketing(October), 47-59.
Dawson, L.: 1992, ‘Will Feminisation Change the Ethics of the Sales Profession?’, Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management 12, 21-32.
Dawson, L. M.: 1997, ‘Ethical Differences Between Men and Women in the Sales Profession’, Journal of Business Ethics 16(11), 1143-1152.
Derrida, J.: 1973, Speech and Phenomenon(Northwestern University Press, Evanston).
Dion, P. A., D. Easterling and R. Javalgi: 1997, ‘Women in the Business-to-Business Salesforce’, Industrial Marketing Management 26, 447-457.
Dwyer, S., R. Orlando and D. C. Shepherd: 1998, ‘An Exploratory Study of Gender and Age: Matching in the Salesperson-Prospective Customer Dyad’, Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management 18(4), 55-68.
Epstein, C. F.: 1988, Deceptive Distinctions: Sex, Gender and the Social Order(Yale University Press, New Haven).
Foster, M. K. and B. J. Orser: 1994, ‘A Marketing Perspective on Women in Management: An Exploratory Study’, Canadian Journal of Administrative Science 11(4), 339-345.
Foucault, M.: 1979, Discipline or Punish(Penguin, Harmondsworth).
Foucault, M.: 1981, The History of Sexuality, Volume One, An Introduction(Pelican: Harmondsworth).
Fugate, D. L., P. J. Decker and J. J. Brewer: 1988, ‘Women in Professional Selling: A Human Resource Management Perspective’, Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management 8(November), 33-41.
Futrell, C.: 1984, ‘Sales People's Perceptions of Sex Differences in Sales Managers’, Journal of Personnel Selling and Sales Management 4(May), 19-23.
Gilligan, C.: 1983, In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women's Development(Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA).
Halford, S. and M. Savage: 1995, ‘Restructuring Organisations, Changing People: Gender and Restructuring in Banking And Local Government’, Work, Employment, and Society 9(1), 97-122.
Halford, S., M. Savage and A. Witz: 1997, Gender, Careers and Organisations(MacMillan, London).
Hansard Commission on Women on Top: 1990, Report of the Hansard Commission on Women at the Top(Hansard Society, London).
Heilman, M. E.: 1997, ‘Sex Discrimination and the Affirmative Action Remedy: the Role of Sex Stereotypes’, Journal of Business Ethics 16(9), 877-889.
Jolson, M. A.: 1997, ‘Broadening the Scope of Relationship Selling’, Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management 17(Fall), 75-88.
Jolson, M. A., A. J. Dubinsky, L. B. Comer and F. J. Yammarino: 1997, ‘Follow the Leader’, Marketing Management 5(4), 38-50.
Jones, E., J. N. Moore, A. Stanaland and A. J. Wyatt: 1998, ‘Salesperson Race and Gender and the Access and Legitimacy Paradigm: Does Difference Make a Difference?’, Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management 18(4), 71-88.
Jussim, L. J., C. R. McCauley and Y. Lee: 1995, ‘Why Study Stereotype Accuracy and Innacuracy?’, in Y. Lee, L. J. Jussim and C. R. McCauley (eds.), Stereotype Accuracy: Toward Appreciating Group Differences(American Psychological Association, Washington DC).
Kubasek, N. and A. M. Giampetro: 1990, ‘Moving Forward on Reverse Discrimination’, in W. M. Hoffman and J. M. Moore (eds.), Business Ethics(McGraw-Hill, New York).
Lacan, J.: 1977, Ecrits(Tavistock, London).
Landau, J.: 1995, ‘The Relationship of Race and Gender to Managers Ratings of Promotion Potential’, Journal of Organisational Behaviour 16(4), 391-400.
Lane, N.: 1998, 'The Role of Women in Sales: The New Environment’, presented at the American Marketing Association Summer Educators Conference, Boston, August.
Lane, N. (1999) ‘The Role of Women in Sales: Addressing the New Challenges’, Journal of Selling and Major Account Management 1(2), 69-78.
Lane, N.: 2000a, ‘The Management Implications of Women's' Employment Disadvantage in a Female Dominated Profession: A Study of NHS Nursing’, Journal of Management Studies 37(5), 705-731.
Lane, N.: 2000b, ‘Female Employment in Sales Organisations: Learning to Manage the Pink Collar Army’, Journal of Marketing Management 16(4), 393-416.
Lane, N., D. W. Cravens and N. F. Piercy: 2000, ‘Salesperson Organizational Citizenship Behavior and Sales Unit Effectiveness: Exploring the Gender Dimension’, AMA Winter Conference, February, San Antonio.
Maclaran, P. and M. Catterall: 2000, ‘Bridging the Knowledge Divide: Issues of the Feminisation of the Marketing Practice’, Journal of Marketing Management, Special Issue, 16(6), 635-646.
Maddock, S.: 1998, Challenging Women: Gender, Culture and Organisation(Sage, London).
Magretta, J.: 1997, ‘Will She Fit In?’, Harvard Business Review 75(March/April), 18-32.
Marchetti, M.: 1996a, ‘Women's Movements’, Sales and Marketing Management 148(11), 76-82.
McNeilly, K. and R. E. Goldsmith: 1991, ‘The Moderating Effects of Gender and Performance on Job Satisfaction and Intentions to Leave in the Sales Force’, Journal of Business Research 22, 219-232.
Menguc, B.: 1998, ‘The Earnings Gap Between Male and Female Sales Managers’, Industrial Marketing Management 27(2), 385-400.
Morgan, G. and D. Knights: 1991, ‘Gendering Jobs: Corporate Strategy, Managerial Control and the Dynamics of Job Segregation’, Work, Employment and Society 5(2), 181-200.
Nagel, T.: 1997, ‘A Defense of Affirmative Action’, in T. L. Beauchamp and N. E. Bowie (eds.), Ethical Theory and Business, 5th edn. (Prentice-Hall, New Jersey).
Palmer, A. and D. Bejou: 1995, ‘The Effects of Gender on the Development of Relationships Between Clients and Financial Advisors’, International Journal of Bank Marketing 13(3), 18-27.
Pattatucci, A. M.: 1998, Women in Science: Meeting Challenges and Transcending Boundaries(Sage, London).
Piercy, N. F., D. Cravens and N. Morgan: 1997, ‘Sources of Effectiveness in the Business-to-Business Sales Organisation’, Journal of Marketing Practice: Applied Marketing Science 3(1), 43-69.
Piercy, N. F.: 1997, Market-Led Strategic Change: Transforming the Process of Going to Market(Butterworth_Heineman, Oxford).
Piercy, N. F., D. W. Cravens and N. A. Morgan: 1998, ‘Salesforce Performance and Behaviour-based Management Processes in Business-to-Business Sales Organizations’, European Journal of Marketing 32(1/2), 79-100.
Pojman, L. P.: 1997, ‘The Moral Status of Affirmative Action’, in T. L. Beauchamp and N. E. Bowie (eds.), Ethical Theory and Business, 5th edn. (Prentice-Hall, New Jersey).
Porter, E.: 1999, Feminist Perspectives on Ethics(Pearson, Harlow).
Reskin, B. and I. Padavic: 1994, Women and Men at Work(Pine Forge, Thousand Oaks, CA).
Rosener, J.: 1990, ‘Ways Women Lead’, Havard Business Review 68(6), 119-125.
Russ, F. and K. McNeilly: 1988, ‘Has Sex Stereotyping Disappeared? A Study of Perceptions of Women in Sales’, Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management 8, 43-54.
Siguaw, J. A. and E. D. Honeycutt: 1995, ‘An Examination of Gender Differences in Selling Behaviours and Job Attitudes’, Industrial Marketing Management 24, 45-52.
Smith, J. B.: 1998, ‘Buyer-Seller Relationships: Similarity Relationship Management, and Quality’, Psychology and Marketing 15(January), 3-21.
Stern, B., S. Gould and S. Tewari: 1993, ‘Sex-Typed Service Images: An Empirical Investigation of Self-Service Variables’, The Service Industries Journal 13(3), 74-96.
Sur, G. and B. H. Kliener: 1995, ‘Sex Discrimination in Employment: Everyone's Problem’, Equal Opportunities International 14(6/7), 369-373.
Swan, J. E., D. R. Rink, G. E. Kiser and W. S. Martin: 1984, ‘Industrial Buyer Impact of the Industrial Saleswomen’, Journal of Marketing 48(Winter), 110-116.
Swan, J. E. and C. M. Futrell: 1978, ‘Men Versus Women in Industrial Sales: A Performance Gap?’, Industrial Marketing Management 7, 369-373.
Vogler, C.: 1994, ‘Segregation, Sexism, and the Labour Supply’, in A. MacEwen Scott (ed.), Gender Segregation and Societal Change(Oxford University Press, Oxford), pp. 39-79.
Weedon, C.: 1987, Feminist Practice and Poststructuralist Theory(Basil Blackwell, Oxford).
Whelehan, I.: 1995, Modern Feminist Thought: From the Second Wave to 'Post-Feminism’ (Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lane, N., Crane, A. Revisiting Gender Role Stereotyping in the Sales Profession. Journal of Business Ethics 40, 121–132 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020343504126
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020343504126