The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between the glass cliff phenomenon and two forms of sexism: hostile sexism (HS) and benevolent sexism (BS). Glass cliff refers to the tendency to endorse a woman candidate for a normally desirable, high-status position at the time of downfall or when things are not going well. A questionnaire package was first administered to a working people sample (N = 328) with diverse occupational backgrounds. Based on the analyses and findings, to be able to eliminate the potential confounding effect of the order of the scales in the package, the study was repeated on a student sample (N = 147). Finally, analyses were repeated after the data from both samples were combined. Results showed no evidence for 1) the presence of glass cliff and 2) the presence of a relationship between glass cliff and two forms of sexism. The results from both samples were discussed, presenting some plausible explanations for the findings. Limitations of the study and suggestions for future research are also presented.

Gender differences play an important role in the diversity that exists in our world today. Evan as infants, our young minds are able to grasp that there are large differences in the roles and expectations for males and females and that these differences contribute to the variety of experiences that we encounter in our interactions with the two genders. As we grown from children into adults, it is clear that the biased opinions we form regarding the opposite sex in childhood are too simplistic in their ideologies, and during the time that we mature into young adults, our opinions mature as well. Although there has been much research into the development of attitudes from childhood into adulthood, the role that self-esteem may play in the process has been somewhat neglected. This thesis explored the nature of self-esteem and tested its salience with regard to intergroup gender bias in children and ambivalent sexism in adults. In the child sample (n=20), intergroup gender bias was found to be correlated positively with global self-worth. In the adult sample (n=218), elevated levels of global self-worth were correlated with hostile sexism in females and with benevolent sexism in males. Surprisingly few types of specific self-esteem (self-perceived peer social competence, behavioral conduct, physical appearance, and athletic competence) were found to correlate with intergroup gender bias in children and ambivalent sexism in adults.