Gender in Leadership

Likewise, understanding how societies have historically viewed and treated women in leadership roles is informative but fails to address how change can be affected. Business approaches in women in leadership look at the economic factors of what women earn in such positions and how many are represented in upper management but do little to address how to change long-standing perceptions. These three approaches provide vital information yet independently cannot be actionable. When considered in concert, elements of each discipline can come together to provide an understanding of the cause of gender bias in leadership, how societies deal with such bias, and what can be done to change the situation to improve economic realities for women. It is clear that an interdisciplinary approach yields much more useful information than can an approach based on any single

When discussing inequality between genders, it is difficult to overlook opportunities that are withheld from women do to preconceptions of their ability to handing work that is traditionally practiced by men. "Many women report that men tend to dominate in mixed-gender work groups" (Distelhorst 24). Utilizing assertive characteristics in combination with sound judgment is important for proper leadership. According to Distelhorst, the ability to express one 's opinion is limited in business settings by the level of authority employees hold (26). As such, the ability of women to thrive in an environment described by Distelhorst is questionable. On the contrary, men may be expected to possess more positive

For decades, differences in gender have been at the forefront of debate, especially in relation to effective leadership in managing a company. Women were recognized as too emotional, weak or subordinate to be successful as managers. However, as time has passed, the perceptions of society have changed, and although women made the leap into many management positions, the stereotype that they are inferior to men still exists, making them feel the need to prove themselves. In management positions, women are challenged in different ways, present themselves in a different manner and communicate differently than men; however, despite the variations, females have successfully integrated themselves into the

This is a serious problem because diversity matters, and nowhere is it more important than in leadership. Nevertheless, this report draws on this limited body of research not to limits the number of women who should take up leadership positions. Time will not solve the gender leadership gap; action will. Women’s representation in leadership will not increase substantially without major changes in the culture, policies, and practices of the organizations where women learn and work. Accountability also inspires action, so we need public policies to ensure that employers do the right thing. This is a solvable problem. We can do a great deal to move beyond stereotypical notions about leadership. Gender parity is a step forward for everyone, freeing us to pursue our aspirations, regardless of gender. Barriers and Bias: The Status of Women in Leadership offers a blueprint for getting there.

Over the centuries, femininity has been stereotyped as reliant, subservient and conforming, and hence women have been seen as lacking in leadership qualities. The male bias is reflected in the false conception of leadership as mere command or control. “As leadership comes properly to be seen as a process of leaders engaging and mobilizing the human needs of followers, women will be more readily recognized as leaders and men will change their own leadership styles” (Burns, 1978, p. 50). Gender differences in leadership has been one of the most intense studies, researchers have been trying to figure out why they’re very, few women leaders. Although there have been more women entering the work force, the leadership ratio is still not

Contrary to this, if one fails to receive validation for leadership attempts diminishes, so does self-confidence and the motivation to seek out other opportunities or to experiment, and take on new leadership roles (Day et al., 2009) thus weakening one’s self-identity as a leader (DeRue & Ashford, 2010). Now if you are a woman and predisposed to being viewed as “the weaker sex”, one more emotional, passive, and lacking ambition, must you redouble your efforts in order to get past these biases? Can you actually pass through that glass ceiling to reach the potential that male counterparts seem effortlessly able to reach through the same or lesser effort? Women are thought to be communal—friendly, unselfish, care taking—and thus lacking in the qualities required for success in leadership roles (Heilman et al., 1989). These characteristics place women in a double blind and subject them to a double standard.

Women are increasingly entering leadership roles traditionally occupied men. In fact, there has been a 75% increase in female business school graduates since 2001 (Goudreau, 2011). As a result, gender differences and their leadership styles has become a highly researched topic during the last decade. Importantly, women have different characteristics, traits, and values then men. In turn, they adopt leadership styles that capitalize on their strengths and are compatible with their natural qualities. Exploring prominent leadership theories and their application to female leaders will advance the effectiveness of women in leadership positions.

They found out that female and male leaders have equal concern for the task. However, women manifest more concern for an interpersonal relationship than men (Eagly and Johannesen‐Schmidt, 2001). Moreover, using Blake and Mouton (1964) framework, women show a more democratic (or participative) style, which facilitates collaboration, and less autocratic (or directive) style, that don’t enhance followers’ creativity. Thus, according to the contemporary standard, women manifested more appropriate traits for being an effective leader.

Gender diversity is also remaining to be a challenge due to the issues in relation with cultural factors. In fact, women in executive roles are ready to make sacrifices in their personal lives in order to contain a top management position. The issue rises in whether or not corporate culture will support the rise of women in executive and senior executive positions. Barriers limiting women as top managers revolve around the limited availability they would have to offer the organization. In a survey conducted, only sixty-nine percent of senior executive women believe that reaching the C-suite is possible. Those who were less confident about moving into top-management explained that environmental and cultural factors were more influential than individual factors. More confident women show the leadership styles that these companies are seeking these types of leadership and communication styles. This absent of diversity within leadership styles is still a challenge because of top management already having a model role; these women’s

leadership. This paper aims to present a clear picture of women in leadership. It shows where

This research paper begins with discussing on some leadership behaviors, which are more often applied by women than by men in the corporate world. I believe female leadership behaviors will be demanded and valued more by

The debate about the difference in leadership style of women and men continues to attract attention since women make strides into leadership position dominated mainly by men. Men have long been holding these leadership roles and have defined styles accepted by people. Therefore, it is not surprising that women are usual the focus in terms of the discussion on gender difference in leadership styles. There seems to be great disagreement about the behaviour of women and men actually performing such roles (Eagly, 2001). This disagreement on this focus can be divided into two groups. One is the no-difference camp, who commonly agreed that there are few differenced in the

In the past, many have tried to go over why there are fewer female leaders, even though the number of women increases the workforce. This is researched, factoring in genetic makeup and conduct; based on what part of the world leaders are being addressed. Second, within work environments there is controversy. Leaders of the past are not how leaders are viewed today. Leaders were associated with males, and sororities and convents with females. Traditional strengths are still in place, but more competencies and traits have been added to job description or duties. Some traditional strength consists of innovation, motivation and vision. Whether male or female leaders, the need to lead through influence, enhance relationships and understand and appreciate cultures.

We know that women have it harder than men to make the jump to CEO because of difference in pay, ability to secure positions and keep positions and get past the sexist voids they have to undergo along the way. But what we also know is that women have what it takes to lead as CEO just as much as men do. Women bring a different form of leadership to the table. While men bring a transactional form of leadership women tend to bring a transformational style that can relate and mold the followers underneath them. Women have a lot of leadership traits that show this tactic makes since, “Trade publications (eg., Roddick 2000; Wilson 2004), the popular press (e.g., Gutner 2006; Kantrowitz 2007), and many studies (e.g., Claes 1999;

Evelyn has a Women’s Way of Leading her employees, which is common in female leaders. Researchers indicate that women’s style of leadership is indifferent from men and happens often in today’s organizations. Using data from actual performance evaluations, one study found that when rated by peers, subordinates, and bosses, female managers score significantly higher than men on abilities such as motivating others, fostering communication, and listening. (pg 360)