Women are wonderful effect

The "women are wonderful" effect is a tendency to associate more positive attributes with women than with men in general—for example warmth, kindness, or morality. This can bias judgments about individuals when gender is salient: women may be rated more positively on some dimensions and less positively on others (such as leadership or competence), even when qualifications are similar.

Examples

• In evaluations, female candidates are sometimes rated more positively on warmth and collaboration, while male candidates are rated more positively on leadership, even when qualifications are similar.

• In a dispute, people may assume a woman is more likely to be telling the truth or to have been wronged, based on general expectations rather than evidence.

• Feedback to women may emphasize being "likeable" or "team-oriented," while the same behavior from a man is described in terms of "leadership" or "drive."

• In hiring, a woman might be preferred for a role seen as caring or supportive, and a man for a role seen as demanding or competitive, despite similar skills.