Editing Pygmalion effect (section)

== Gender limitations ==
One significant constraint of the practical application of Pygmalion research is the unresolved issue of whether the Pygmalion effect operates uniformly across genders. Notably, studies conclude a lack of the Pygmalion effect for women. This suggests that, unlike their male colleagues, the higher standards for female leaders could only sometimes result in increased subordinate performance.

Female subordinates have been utilized in many studies, which in turn failed to demonstrate a significant correlation between the Pygmalion effect. For instance, King's unpublished research in 1970 provided two examples of failed Pygmalion effect attempts that both primarily involved female subordinates. The Pygmalion effect was undetectable in Sutton and Woodman's research of female principal attendants in the retail industry.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Sutton |first1=Charlotte D. |last2=Woodman |first2=Richard W. |title=Pygmalion goes to work: The effects of supervisor expectations in a retail setting. |journal=Journal of Applied Psychology |date=December 1989 |volume=74 |issue=6 |pages=943–950 |doi=10.1037/0021-9010.74.6.943}}</ref>