Into the Headwind
For aspiring evangelical women, already subject to the metaphorical glass ceiling, evangelical perspectives on gender roles represent an exacerbating headwind. Ironically, though, when female evangelical executives advance arguments from distinction in advocating for greater representation among the business elite, they may actually reinforce the complementarian theological perspectives that undermine the legitimacy of evangelical women in leadership roles in the first place. Female evangelical executives are indeed more likely than their male counterparts to articulate concern for people relative to profits, embrace broader corporate social responsibilities, and cite feelings and intuition in support of career and business decisions. But women also disproportionately occupy the types of contexts that prompted evangelical executives more broadly—whether women or men—to articulate these particular orientations. Thus, the perspectives of women suggest that professional context and associated expectations supersede gender norms when ordering faith expressions in business.