This article studies female arbitrators’ impression management styles (sometimes referred to as a representation of self or self-representation). “Impression management” (hereinafter also “IM”) is a concept from social psychology, indicating that it is common for people to influence one an other to reach specific goals. Though impression management is neither a legal concept nor a study area in arbitration, it plays a significant role in not just female arbitrators’ but also male arbitrators’ everyday professional lives, since they are players in a very competitive field in which social appearances often define their status.
The paper first gives a rudimentary outline of the concept of impression management. It ana lyzes how it is crucial for arbitrators and studies female arbitrators’ impression management styles, including their professional attitudes, clothing styles, and mannerisms. In the end, the research points out the challenges female arbitrators encounter when changing their IM styles from feminine to more masculine to comply with the perceived image of a qualified arbitrator. This study discovers that women arbitrators often develop a “hybrid” impression management style wherein they use feminine and masculine-typed tactics to represent themselves in arbitration professionally.