Why We Have Too Few Women Leaders Essay

In the article “Lean In: What would you do if you weren’t afraid,” Sandberg modernizes feminism for the woman of today. Sandberg addresses many points of gender inequality that are still present in today’s society. She urges woman to not fall into passive gender roles, but rather, to be “Ambitious”. Her goal is that young women just entering the work force will not only continue, but also aim high. One point that

"In 1950 about one in three women participated in the labor force. By 1998, nearly three of every five women of working age were in the labor force" (Heatherfield, n.d., para. 4). In 2008, the U.S. Department of labor estimates that women will make up 48% of the workforce (Heatherfield, n.d., para. 6). As the number of women in the workforce rises so do the numbers of women who hold higher titles such as Chairman, CEO, Vice Chairman, President, Chief Operating Officer, Senior Vice President, and Executive Vice President. This number has increased from 7.3% in 2000 to 9.9% in 2002 (Diversity statistics, 2006).

The sexualisation of women in advertising has become a very prominent and controversial issue in today’s society. Many brands, products and campaigns we are presented with portray women as being available and willing sexual objects, who exist to cater to the male gender. Gucci is one such brand that does this, focusing on emphasizing the sexual appeal of the female gender in order to sell their products, because as advertisers know: ‘sex sells.’ This new cultural shift can however, be seen as politically regressive for women, as the ideology it brings negatively impacts how women are viewed by society and how they view themselves.

In the United States, study after study continues to show that women have fewer opportunities to advance in the workplace than men. These disadvantages are a result of society’s views of women in leadership positions and how women may view themselves in these roles. Women have been making progress in terms of equality in pay and job positions, but significant gaps remain. Women who strive to be promoted into higher levels of responsibility in their companies often meet resistance that prevents them from achieving the goal of a senior or executive level of management. This barrier is referred to as the “glass ceiling” and it is a controversial issue in our country today. The glass ceiling called this because women are able to see the higher level positions, but can reach them because of an intangible barrier. One can look at the Fortune 500 companies, which are the most successful companies in the U.S. in terms of revenue to see how few women are in leadership positions. Clearly, women are significantly underrepresented in these companies, as less than 5 percent of these companies have female chief executive officers (CEO) today (Dockterman 105). Providing the opportunity for women to move into management positions, like CEOs, would bring a unique talent and a new perspective on how the company can operate to perform better (Buckalew 147). The “glass ceiling” is a real obstacle that creates an intangible barrier that puts women at a disadvantage in advancing in a company.

Also revealed is her evaluation of people and their behavior and relationships in the workplace. She evaluates how men describe their success and how their success is accepted much better then when women achieve success. This creeps into gender expectations within communication because when women speak on their success they will relate it back to others instead of taking the credit for themselves (Sandberg, 30). She admits that she has been at fault of doing this but it is something that needs to change similar to people view gender bias.

Why are there not more women in the upper ranks of corporate America? Is it because women slow down or stop career plans to spend more time caring for family? Or possibly because they are just less ambitious than men and don’t have the confidence? Simple answer: No. Something else is occurring whilst on their way to the top. Women are not surrendering their vocations in huge numbers. Parenthood actually builds their craving for winning advancements; and women by large don 't lack of aspiration or certainty that they can use to go up against difficult tasks. Yet when asked whether they want a top role in their companies or industries, a majority of women say they would rather not grab the brass ring.

The first argument I’d like to point out is hooks’. This is her stabbing at her take on feminism. She says that “It almost seems as if Sandberg sees women’s lack of perseverance as more the problem than systematic inequality.” (hooks p. 662). From early on in Sandberg’s life story we see that she has recognized many weaknesses, and this is what one of her first arguments is. After she introduces her mother she goes on to say this, “When she graduated in 1965 with a degree in French literature, she surveyed a workforce that she believed consisted of two career options for women: teaching or nursing. She chose teaching. She began a Ph.D. program, got married, and then dropped out when she became pregnant with me. It was thought to be a sign of weakness if a husband needed his wife’s help to support their family, so my mother became a stay-at-home parent and an active volunteer. The centuries old division of labor stood.” (Sangberg pp.643-644). While this is more of an emotional argument then hooks’, it carries the same amount of meaning. We see that each of them address issues based off things that they have grown up with. We see that hooks’ addresses the systematic inequality because of her ethnicity and gender. Sandberg is addressing gender alone.

For instance, Saul Kaplan, founder of the Business Innovation Factory, extends Sandberg’s viewpoint that women can have it all by enrollment of men in college which is decreasing rapidly. In his article: “The Plight of Young Males”, Kaplan shares his resentment of the slowed regression of women in executive positions. However, the tables are turning more rapidly than one assumes. Similarly, to Sandberg’s statement on gender gap in academic achievement, Kaplan contends, “In fact, in each year since 1982, more American women than men have received bachelor’s degrees [sic] Over the last decade two million more women graduated from college than men. And the gap continues to grow” (733). Kaplan furthermore reinforces Sandberg’s illustration on the gender gap in education by inserting that “if today’s trends continue unaltered, the last young man in the U.S. to get a college degree will do so in 2068” (733). Kaplan illustrates this further by presenting low graduation rates of African American, Latino American and Native American men in college (734). By the illustration previously mentioned on the low enrollment of males in college creates the pathway for women to have it all while men may be taking on the traditional role of taking care of the family while women pursue a career. Kaplan takes the attention off women having it all and illustrates problems relating to men (734). Kaplan’s merely suggesting men are paving the way for women to have it all by the ever decreasing college enrollments of men which, in advertently, is leading men to lower paying positions in the workplace. Kaplan agrees with Sandberg’s work when she quotes “This gender gap in academic achievement has even caused some to worry about the “end of men” by suggesting that we need to focus on both men and women (646). Therefore, there will be an equal balance of men and women in professional careers while together

A majority of women aspire to obtain a higher position in their work force, but achieving that role can be difficult. Some people believe that the reason there is more male leaders than females is because women are not intelligent enough to uphold high-thinking jobs. However, according to a reliable source, " women now actually surpass men in educational achievement" ("Gender inequality and women iin the workplace" ). The issue is not of intelligence, but more of gender inequality since most women put "more hours into household activities

For my research question I will be asking: “How is America making progress on gender equity?” Fundamentally, I believe that women are still misrepresented, and are still facing many challenges in the workplace, especially in the business world. The gender stereotypes play a considerable role in the way the society sees women as leaders. However, it will be judicious to consider the small but noticeable changes that have been made over the past years concerning gender equality in the American workplace.

As the author points out, the figures on women in leadership is staggering in disparity. The article takes time to focus on identifying and highlighting reasons what makes a successful leader. Having an opportunity to attend a leadership meeting, in which we discussed improving inclusion at my company, this article presented many of the same reasons that as a company we tried to understand, “Why do we not have more women in leadership?” This article really underscores that in order for a business to survive and grow or for that matter, any organization to flourish you need to find individuals that embody the above-mentioned leadership traits not just seniority.

The political arena is a tough place to be part of, especially during a campaign. Your opponent and their supporters are constantly watching your every move with the hopes that you will make a mistake, or that somebody will find some detrimental dirt on you. Now imagine also being a woman, not only will you have to face the hardships that male candidates cope with but you will also have to handle the adversity based on your gender and the stereotypes that go along with being a female. Women have to be prepared to confront the fact that they may not even be wanted in that setting. For example Margaret Carlson stated,

Even though numbers are slowly rising in the United States, there are still more men in executive positions than women. According to one survey, female workers only made up 43% of legislators, senior managers, and senior officials whereas male workers made up 57%. In congress, congresswomen make up only 17% of representation compared to congressmen making up 83% (Ferrante, 2011, p. 312). Gender stratification is one explanation for the tremendous gap. Ferrante (2011) describes gender stratification as the unequal distribution of opportunities and resources amongst male and female employees. (p. 311) For example, male workers have an increased opportunity to receive a promotion than a female worker. According to Tinsley (2013), women are more likely to receive executive positions when a company is doing well, rather than when a company is suffering. Some companies stereotype that women workers will leave the workforce soon to bear children, limiting their chances of achieving executive status (Ferrante, 2011, p. 316).

More and more women are rising to the leadership challenge, even in some of the most male-dominated industries. The increase in the number of women attending college, the increasing number of women in the workplace or starting their own business has demonstrated to men who own businesses that women can be both managers and mothers, thus showing their male counterpart that women can in fact "do it all".

Women have found power in a variety of ways though out history in their struggle towards justice and equality. Though personal power can take many forms this paper will primarily focus on power found through gender solidarity, class issues, race or sexuality. I intend to examine the ways in which three different women, of different races and times in history, were able to find such power resulting in a positive change to either their own lives or the lives of others. Those women are: Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Eleanor Roosevelt and Melba Beals.