Perceptions of Authority

• DOI: 10.1177/0095399712461910
• Published date: 01 July 2014
• Author: Elizabeth A. Tomsich,Mary E. Guy
• Date: 01 July 2014
• Subject Matter: Articles

Administration & Society

2014, Vol. 46(5) 471 –495

© 2011 SAGE Publications

DOI: 10.1177/0095399712461910

aas.sagepub.com

461910AAS46510.1177/0095399712461910

Administration & SocietyTomsich and Guy

© 2011 SAGE Publications

1University of Colorado, Denver, CO, USA

Corresponding Author:

Mary E. Guy, School of Public Affairs, University of Colorado Denver, 1380 Lawrence Street,

Suite 500, P.O. Box 173364, Denver, CO 80217-3364, USA.

Email: mary.guy@ucdenver.edu

Perceptions of

Authority: How Gender

Affects Citizen Ratings

of Judges

Elizabeth A. Tomsich1 and Mary E. Guy1

Abstract

Public officials are vested with authority of the state, and institutions such

as courts crystallize this blend of formal power and relational dynamics. We

probe how gender affects the interpretation of authority by using simula-

tions of traffic court. Observers evaluated the professional demeanor of the

judge. Results indicate that judge gender makes a difference in how profes-

sionalism is rated, gender of the citizen makes a difference in how emotive

expression is interpreted, and the interaction of judge and citizen gender

affects how the judge’s communication is evaluated. We conclude that gender

contextualizes power by moderating its perception and interpretation.

Keywords

emotive expression, authority and gender, perceptions of power

The exercise of power demands a delicate balance between those who govern

and those who are governed. To regulate society, institutions establish norma-

tive confines within which power is to be expressed and exercised. As an

example, U.S. courts provide a prime example of institutionalized norms of

fairness in the midst of extraordinary state power. As the public workforce

Article

472 Administration & Society 46(5)

becomes more diverse, these normative confines stretch in unknown ways. To

probe one such unknown, we investigate how gender affects the perception of

judge behavior. The discussion proceeds as follows: First, we link government

authority to behavioral expectations of officials. Then we explicate those

expectations in terms of affective behavior and hypothesize how gender influ-

ences citizens’ perceptions of judge performance. Then, we report an empiri-

cal study that tested citizens’ perceptions of judges in a courtroom setting.

The Practice of Authority

One of the most notable conceptualizations of bureaucratic authority is Max

Weber’s (1958) categorization of authority into three types: traditional, char-

ismatic, and legal-rational. Of these, legal-rational is the type that refers to

authority granted by virtue of one’s position in the bureaucracy, where one’s

rank and responsibility defines the extent of the power that the official wields

over citizens. Another conceptualization is that of Yves Simon (1962), who

argued that society cannot function without authority. But the element of

coercion in public authority elicits imagery of violent revolt. Consequently,

the concept of wielding authority in a manner sensitive to citizen perception

is essential for public acceptance of the state’s authority.

Relational skills of those who govern are important in the execution of

regulations that constrain citizens’ freedom, whether the stakes pertain to

international relations or personal driving habits. Although cognitive traits

such as knowledge of the job and of one’s legal authority are involved, rela-

tional skills such as emotive expression are also essential in the bond between

the state and the citizen. More and more, scholars are advocating a more bal-

anced understanding of what it takes to engage citizens and to secure their

compliance (see, for example, Brown, Harris, & Squirrell, 2010; Burnier,

2003; Choi, 2010; Denhardt & Denhardt, 2003; Mastracci, Guy, & Newman,

2012; McSwite, 1997; Stivers, 2005, 2010). In fact, research into emotion in

the workplace reveals that it is an essential ingredient of putatively rational

action and that reason and emotion cannot be easily separated (Voronov &

Vince, 2012). Without privileging one over the other, our understanding of

behavior is strengthened by appreciating the recursiveness of reason and

affect on one another.

Gender Issues

There is no civilian governmental entity that communicates the power of the

state to citizens more than the courts, and their processes are predominantly