Social Constructivist Leadership

Women are obtaining more then half of the bachelor degrees earned in America but that has not limited the earning and abilities of the working class man. Phyllis Rosser’s, Too Many Women in College? (2005) is used to expose the still continuing gender issues in higher education. It exposes the issue that yes, there are more women then men in undergrad and master’s programs but men are still outnumbering women in doctoral programs as well as higher paying fields of study (engineering, computer science, business). Still regardless of education women will still face the income gap. Comparing Lee’s and Shaw’s conclusion to the study by Investing in Futures Public Higher Education in America, Women in Higher Education both sources have come to the conclusion that women make up over half of students enrolled in undergrad and their is an uneven representation of women in math and science based degree programs. Janet Lee’s and Susan M. Shaw’s, Women’s Voices Feminist Visions Classic and Contemporary Readings is an accredited and well developed source that highlights the development of women’s

As previously said, Barbara Bush was invited to be the 1990 commencement speaker because she placed second in a classwide vote. Her popularity indicates that a sizable amount of Wellesley students thought her visit would be beneficial. The class president, Julie Porter, said, ''I support Mrs. Bush coming here. She's a very interesting and successful lady who lived in a different time. She didn't have the options we have. I think women should be evaluated not on how much money they make, but whether they're happy.'' Porter’s remark brings to mind a very important concept, one that Tyrell felt the petitioners were overlooking: that the progress in women’s rights did not mean the same thing for every woman. Too many of the soon to be graduates, Barbara Bush was an icon, someone to be admired. They believed she had the right to be their commencement speaker, just as much as Maya Angelou (1982) and Gloria Steinem (1986) had.

Since the early 1800s, women in higher education have been battling to overcome barriers to gain access to education, and equal career opportunities. Research posits that women have made significant progress through government legislations during the 1960s and 1970s, which eradicated some of the barriers of gender inequality. The research also supports that women are moving the needle in educational attainment and employment in higher education as students, faculty members and senior-level administrators. However, recent data suggest that there is still work to do to increase the number of women in leadership roles. Especially black women in higher education.

For instance, Harriet Tubman and Hillary Clinton are two examples of women who chose to become leaders in America’s society. They both were very bold by stepping up to what they wanted to pursue. Not only does the modern society today holds women who have become great leaders, but it also holds strong female leaders from the past. Just by helping many slaves who have been under the ruling of their owners, Harriet Tubman becomes one of America’s most legendary abolitionists because of her action of freeing more than 700 slaves. On the other hand, a woman who lives in the modern society today, Hillary Clinton, is known for attempting to run for president, but finishing in second place in the election. Because of her success, she has become a person who is not only respected from having a bold character, but also an inspiration to future generations of women who also dream of being known as the first woman president of America. Furthermore, a woman that is stereotyped by society but is trying to break the unreasonable label is almost like being conformed in a glass box trying to escape. The reality for a women could consist of being faced with criticism. The strength of one can only bring them far enough to reaching success. Specifically for women, in some cases, having motivational support from others can influence them even more than before, and will help them achieve even greater accomplishments.

The need for support and mentorship becomes even more crucial for faculty employed at small, private institutions, because oftentimes the duties of the professoriate are coupled with advising obligations, administrative assignments or committee leadership. To complicate matters further, the smaller faculty usually contributes to a lack of diversity among its members (Schnell, 1992), thus leaving a significant gap in possible mentors for women faculty in search of gender-matches to confide in as they learn the nuances within the academe.

Equality for women has been an ongoing debate for years. Most people recognize the inequality for women in areas besides the business world. However, women in politics is one of the most well-known topics. Until a few years ago, the thought of having a woman as president was absurd. It wasn’t until the 2008 election that the idea of a woman for president would change drastically. Both Sarah Palin and Hilary Clinton decided to run in the 2008 presidential election. Although neither of the two were elected, they both still made a dramatic impact on the views of women in politics. Michelle Bernard states that the 2008 election was a breakthrough for women in general. However, Marie Cocco disagrees, stating that the loss was a major disappointment for women. Although both authors feel strongly about their

They are five types of approaches to select within qualitative research: case study, ethnography, phenomenology, grounded theory, and narrative research. Each research method is distinct in its approach towards inquiry within the qualitative paradigm in terms of appearance, conditions, focus, and theories (Creswell, 1998). There are also similarities in these approaches such as characteristics and assumptions concerning the context of the study. This research evaluates each approach and determines that the phenomenology method is best suited for the study of women in leadership and the challenges they face climbing the

Women today can vote, run for office, and have many interactions with politics, but it took a lot to lead up to this point. Dolley Madison, wife of James Madison, played an important role in women’s political life. Known as the “Presidentress”, Dolley hosted many female social political parties called “Mrs. Madison’s Crush” or “squeeze”. At Mrs. Madison’s parties, information was often traded, informal channels were established, and political access was gained. She was a main asset to her husband and understood the function of the White House and what it took to have the power of being in presidency. Dolley was a form of gateway for women in her circle to gain access to political issues and to have their thoughts and

Women were not role players in the national government until 1917, but over nearly the past century, the impact women have had on Washington’s politics has begun to unfold into the current role women play in the US government today. Before 1917, no woman had ever been elected to serve and represent their state in Washington, D.C., although many had tried. In 1917, we saw our first congresswoman on the national stage, and throughout the year’s woman have played many roles in government. These roles include service in the House of Representatives, the Senate, many presidents’ cabinets, and other vital roles in our government. Many women have tried and some have come close, but, no woman has ever been able to grab the most illustrious role, the President of the United States. For that matter, no woman has been elected Vice President of the United States. Women will continue to try until they prevail and are chosen to serve as the President of the United States.

Equal Access to Higher Education: Believe it or not, until the 1970’s, some colleges and universities refused to accept women into their institutions. Why? The answer’s simple: education officials at the time

In a publication titled ‘Black Women in Academe’, author Yolanda Moses describes how “isolation, invisibility, hostility, indifference, and a lack of understanding of the Black women’s experiences are all too often part of the climate Black women may face on campuses” (Moses, 1989). The detrimental environment surrounding these women frequently results in sullenness, lack of social assertiveness, and belief that they are less competent than male students. Even if time spent at an academic institution is minimal, with this kind of prejudice faced at an early age, any woman- black or otherwise, would suffer the rest of their life. In response to the discrimination faced at universities, some have created programs to aid black students and other minorities; these programs tend to generalize the needs of all its black students and do not fully support black women specifically.

Leadership is an important factor within a business environment and often plays a significant role in achievement of organisational success (Landis, Hill & Harvey 2014). However, leadership is an art, therefore there is no simple formula for effective leadership (Hughes, Ginnett & Curphy 2015, p.33) and a leader’s effectiveness can often only be understood in the context of the leader-follower-situation interaction model.

Chapter sixteen discusses various leadership theories which can implemented by leaders to achieve success. The choice of leadership theory differs from leader to leader as they possess different vision and way of managing. A theory isn 't always perfect in itself, it is the endless effort of the leaders which makes the theory a perfect one. Two approaches of leadership that I prefer are Situational Leadership Theory and Servant Leadership Theory. Among many theories I prefer these two because I tend to practice those principles most of the time and I assume these are theories that I truly tend to continue in a long run.

A large amount of credit is given to Bass 's transformational leadership theory identifies four aspects of

     The social constructionist perspective holds the view that the self is continuing "shaped and reshaped through interactions with others and involvement in social and cultural activities" (Wetherell & Maybin, 1996, p 220). Social constructionist is concerned with explicating the processes by which people come to describe, explain, or otherwise account for the world (including themselves) in which they live (Gergen, 1971). Thus, the social constructionist approach implies that the self is shaped by social interaction within historical, cultural and social contexts. Social constructionist's apply an analysis of societal level which explain the self through social relations. Conversely, the