Does the intersection of gender and ethnicity of a leader at workplace affect employee perception of leadership suitability?

Abstract: Research within discrimination against ethnic minorities and females suggest that members of these groups face discrimination during recruitment processes in organizations. However, less is known on whether leaders from these groups are discriminated against due to their ethnicity and gender by being perceived less suitable as leaders at the workplace. Moreover, most previous research has focused on discrimination and stereotypes of members of single groups rather than of multiple group categories. In this study conducted in Sweden (N=300), we investigate whether the intersection of gender and ethnicity of a leader at the workplace affects employee perception of their leadership suitability and how signaling ethnicity and gender differs for Arab (minority) versus Swedish (majority) and Male (majority) versus Female (minority). The results show clear evidence of ethnic discrimination where a male Arab is less preferred to a leadership position than male Swede. However, there is no evidence indicating discrimination based on gender nor any significant interaction between gender and ethnicity.  Keywords: Discrimination, Gender, Ethnicity, Intersectionality, Leadership