We address complexities on gender role theory and trait analyses of leadership to explain how sex and gender interrelate to produce asymmetric effects on different leadership outcomes (i.e., positive attitudes vs. evaluations). In three studies across different set-ups, gender traits demonstrated incremental validity over sex on employees’ positive attitudes (e.g., satisfaction, loyalty). For evaluations (e.g., perceived effectiveness), gender traits had generally weaker effects and in some cases predicted effectiveness more for stereotypical leaders, in line with role-congruency predictions. Penalties for counter-stereotypical behavior were weaker for female than male actual leaders, pointing to mitigated effects of role congruity prescriptions on female leaders´ evaluations. Remarkably, agency did not correlate more strongly than communion with any leadership effect. These findings underscore the relevance of (female and male) leaders’ communion to improve followers’ positive attitudes -but not evaluations- and call for an updated perspective about the complex influences of gender on leadership beyond the oversimplified female advantage approach.

Since early “female advantage” proposals over 30 years that women have superior leadership styles than men (Helgesen, 1990; Loden, 1985), the claim that women are better leaders has been gaining momentum both in the popular press (New York Times, 2009; The Daily Mail, 2010) and academic research (e.g., Carter, Simkins, & Simpson, 2003; Krishnan & Park, 2005). Driven by this assumption, theoretical and empirical progress in this field has undergone substantial development, with a rich body of research demonstrating that female leaders display to a greater extent styles that are associated with performance, such as people orientation, emotional intelligence or transformational leadership (see Eagly, Gartzia, & Carli, 2014, for a review). Paying attention to the value of women in leadership constitutes a substantial contribution for gender equality. Yet, its underlying perspective has not questioned sex differences per se and has generally disregarded more complex ways in which gender influence leadership effectiveness. A particularly influential precursor of the female advantage is communion – a set of stereotypically feminine personality traits that have traditionally been more desirable in women than in men (Bem, 1974; Spence & Helmreich, 1978).