Research SummaryWe examine a critical yet underexplored aspect of human resource management in nascent technology ventures: employee recruitment. Applying theories of gender stereotyping, we contend that female‐led technology startups face greater obstacles in attracting job applicants than their male counterparts. Evidence from a randomized online experiment conducted in 2020/2021 with 777 US job seekers substantiates this barrier, indicating that the disparities are partly rooted in gender‐stereotypical perceptions of female technology entrepreneurs as less competent, agentic, and warm, which contribute to less favorable assessments of their ventures' economic potential and employee empowerment potential. Startups with gender‐diverse leadership teams appear to overcome these biases. Confirmatory evidence comes from a 2024 replication study with 455 US job seekers, underscoring the need to address gender biases in the technological ecosystem.Managerial SummaryIn the competitive landscape of technology startups, attracting talent is key. Our study reveals that startups with female leaders face gender biases during recruitment, with job candidates perceiving female technology entrepreneurs as less competent, agentic, and warm—and their startup ventures as less likely to have what it takes to grow and to empower employees. Analysis from a randomized online experiment involving 777 US job seekers in 2020/2021 and a follow‐up study with 455 US job seekers in 2024 confirm such biases. Crucially, a gender‐balanced leadership team significantly counters such biases, enhancing the venture's appeal to potential hires. These insights highlight the need for technology startups to promote gender diversity within their leadership to dismantle stereotypes and attract a broader talent pool.

中文翻译：

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为 Jessica 还是 Michael 工作？性别刻板印象对科技初创公司求职意向的影响


研究摘要我们研究了新兴技术企业中人力资源管理的一个关键但未被充分开发的方面：员工招聘。应用性别刻板印象理论，我们认为女性领导的科技初创公司在吸引求职者方面比男性同行面临更大的障碍。2020/2021 年对 777 名美国求职者进行的一项随机在线实验的证据证实了这一障碍，表明这种差异部分源于对女性科技企业家的性别刻板印象，即她们的能力较差、能动性和热情，这导致对其企业的经济潜力和员工赋权潜力的评价较差。拥有性别多元化领导团队的初创公司似乎克服了这些偏见。确凿的证据来自 2024 年对 455 名美国求职者的重复研究，该研究强调了解决技术生态系统中性别偏见的必要性。管理摘要在科技初创公司的竞争环境中，吸引人才是关键。我们的研究表明，拥有女性领导者的初创公司在招聘过程中面临性别偏见，求职者认为女性科技企业家的能力、代理性和热情性较低，而她们的初创公司不太可能具备成长和赋予员工权力所需的条件。2020/2021 年涉及 777 名美国求职者的随机在线实验和 2024 年对 455 名美国求职者的后续研究的分析证实了这种偏见。至关重要的是，性别平衡的领导团队可以显著抵消这种偏见，增强企业对潜在员工的吸引力。 这些见解凸显了科技初创公司需要在其领导层中促进性别多元化，以消除刻板印象并吸引更广泛的人才库。