In this paper, we leverage research on gender socialization in groups and informal leadership emergence to build understanding on how and why gender differences in leadership schemas affect leadership emergence in collective contexts. We argue that gender-based differences in leadership schemas shape how men and women participate in the social processes of claiming and granting leadership identities that act as the building blocks of leadership emergence. In a series of three studies, we examine the nature of gender-based differences in the perception of leadership relationships and implications for team functioning. In Study 1, we use a mixed-methods approach involving surveys and interviews to examine the fundamental differencs in how men and women view leadership structures in their peer groups. In Study 2, using an experimental design, we show that while men and women do not differ in how they observe leadership behaviors in others, women tend to be more generous when granting leadership based on these leadership observations. Finally, in Study 3, using an organizational sample of top and middle managers.we demonstrate that women are more likely to grant leadership to others in their professional networks but receive fewer leadership grants from others, controlling for network dependencies and relational tendencies.
