The Impact of Self-Esteem, Machiavellianism, and Social Capital on Attorneys' Traditional Gender Outlook

Utilizing a national sample of 106 attorneys and hierarchical regression analysis, this study identified several individual tendencies that could adversely affect women attorneys' career experiences. The findings indicated that self-esteem was negatively associated with a traditional gender outlook, and that Machiavellianism was positively associated with conservative beliefs about gender. Tolerance for diversity was negatively related to a traditional gender outlook, while work-based social agency was positively related to the preference for established gender roles. The results imply that confidence brings about greater acceptance of women's organizational roles, and that self-serving tendencies lower individuals' tolerance of women's employment. Diversity tolerance appears to prompt a nontraditional gender outlook, while social agency seems to prompt a traditional gender outlook. The organizational implications of the results are discussed along with the research limitations and recommendations for future inquiry.