INTRODUCTION
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".
In this paper the history of women in the workforce will be outlined, as well as the challenges they face. The changing attitudes towards women taking over family businesses will be looked at briefly, how women lead in comparison to how men lead, and a comparison of their leadership style will also be discussed.
HISTORY AND
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Those days have since past. As women are achieving higher levels of education and are being employed in more prominent positions, their leadership roles in family organizations have increased. Many young women are refusing to accept the rule of "primogeniture" (Nelton, 1999). Primogeniture is defined as a birthright or an inheritance. Although women are making great strides in this arena, there is still the feeling out there that the son should be considered first and the daughter as a second option, only if there is no son or if the son declines the offer. But, Nelton says that, "young women by and large feel that if they want to go into the family business, the opportunity is there." In each of the cases described by Nelton, the fathers encouraged their daughters to become involved in the family business. As well, each father let his daughter run the show once she was named CEO-the surest sign of support (Nelton, 1999). In more and more families and in business in general, gender is becoming not an issue. As roles increasingly change on the home front, the business world will soon mirror the changes taking place in the family structure. Nelton also urges women in leadership roles to not lose sight of the bottom line. She says it is "easy for women to get caught up in the management of people" (Nelton, 1999). She goes on to say that if you cannot prove that you are also profit-driven, you will never make it to the successor level.
LEADERSHIP STYLE WOMEN
Do women belong in the workplace? Should employers treat them differently because of their responsibilities in the home? The article “Female Company President: ‘I’m Sorry to all the Mothers I Worked With’” by Kathrine Zaleski, president and co-founder of PowerToFly, argues that women can be both successful mothers and employees if employers take the initiative to accommodate them. She believes that women have the ability and skills to become both valuable employees and involved mothers, but employers need to make adjustments in several common work practices in order to build women up to their full potential.
"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).
In the business world, being a woman in a male dominated world is not easy. A woman should move away from the virtues that was instilled to them as a young girl. Working in a male-dominated field, especially for a new up and coming female executive, a woman must always have
Nadler and Stockdale mention how women face the most challenges in receiving higher positions in the workforce (282+). Nadler and Stockdale claim that women are viewed as competent, but individuals who are both competent and likeable are most likely to be promoted (287+). Nadler and Stockdale declare, “Women endeavoring to succeed in a masculine work role, such as upper management, currently face obstacles based on their perceived gender role” (283+). Women who succeed in earning a managerial position will have to eventually pay the cost of receiving that position (Nadler and Stockdale 282+). Many women will postpone relationships or having children to succeed in the workforce (Nadler and Stockdale 282+). Nadler and Stockdale add that women
The article “Female Company President: ‘I’m Sorry to all the Mothers I Worked With’” by Kathrine Zaleski, president and co-founder of PowerToFly, argues that women can be both successful mothers and employees if employers take the initiative to accommodate them. At the beginning of the article, she regretfully recalls moments in her career in which she judged other women for trying to balance family life and a career. After she gave birth to her own daughter that she realized that she held wrong and harmful attitudes towards female employees with children. Our society required her to choose between a career and raising a child, and she decided that something needs to change. She decided to co-found a company
Instead of being allowed to become corporate leaders and influential characters that can bring change to the system, women are encouraged to become part-time employees. They are often offered positions that are important but not influential enough to affect policy. In this manner they are shown that they are good enough to work, but not quite ready to accept the mantle of leadership.
On the other hand, it is said that women are seen as being more supportive and less managerial. Women tend to display high levels of compassion and team-building skills. Additionally, women leaders are able to view situations from many different perspectives, enhancing their persuasive ability and making them better at persuasion than males. Women are also said to like a challenge. “An international study found that 70% of businesswomen asked their bosses for new challenges at work, which is less than half of the businessmen that did so.” Lastly, it is said that women are honest and hard workers. It was found that 54% of women worked 9-11 hour days compared to 41% of men. It was also found that women are more likely to do work during their vacations and less likely to spend their “sick days” playing hooky.
She is the only female partner, as well as one of two female attorneys out of eight at the firm. Ms. Offergeld has had personal experiences with the struggles of being a working mother; “I took off early from work to spend time with my children and the male bosses got mad at me. They called me into their office and complained that I should make work my first priority” (Offergeld). She also felt that she had to build more hours than her male colleagues to get further in the firm. This is a common theme of women in the workforce; and is called the prove-it-again bias. This is when “women are expected to repeatedly show more evidence of their competencies than men before others believe they are fit to lead” (Perkins). Ms. Offergeld became proof of this bias when a male colleague who was hired after her became a partner before her. This is a reoccoring theme in the workforce. Women are passed up for jobs by men simply because it is thought that men are the better workers. When asked what career advice she would give to young women who want to become leaders Ms. Offergeld replied: “Make your male counterparts respect you by always working hard and cultivating clients. Network as much as you can with other women in your business in order to gain contacts. Don’t let gender perceptions hold you back”
Over the past few decades, great strides have been made by women in the workplace. This increased number in women in the workplace does not mean equality however. Even with equal qualifications and achievements, women are still not given all the opportunities that men have. The chapter in the textbook, “Gender at Work”, shows us more of these inequalities in the workplace. Such inequalities cause gender segregation of jobs and can be linked with the pay inequality in the labor force. Even in jobs that are predominantly filled by women, men earn more than women. Women are often stereotyped as being family focused and not as able to travel, therefore they tend to get passed up for promotions (Garson p.353). This invisible barrier that keeps women from moving up the executive ladder is referred to as the “glass ceiling” (Baxter and Wright p. 346). Women also tend to do more domestic work, or unpaid labor and caregiving. This extra unpaid work is referred to as “the third shift” and is largely rested on the shoulders of women (Gersel p. 352). Consequently, this seems to be one of the biggest things holding women back from taking on jobs that are normally considered male
Sandberg’s book analyzes the many biases between women and men in positions of leadership in the workplace as well as her view on “feminism” in the corporate world. She claims “women hold themselves back unintentionally in their careers” by not taking part in career advancement opportunities that may arise in addition to hesitance and worry of repercussions which might occur for making requests or demands of their superiors. Sandberg believes that the reason for this is because women are living up to the stereotypes as “caregivers, sensitive and communal” while men are portrayed to be providers, driven and decisive”. The portrayals
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 "glass ceiling" has held women back from certain positions and opportunities in the workplace. Women are stereotyped as part-time, lower-grade workers with limited opportunities for training and advancement because of this "glass ceiling". How have women managed their careers when confronted by this glass ceiling? It has been difficult; American women have struggled for their role in society since 1848. Women’s roles have changed significantly throughout the past centuries because of their willingness and persistence. Women have contributed to the change pace of their role in the workplace by showing motivation and perseverance.
Gender plays a huge role in workplace 'success' and can be a big challenge especially if the employee is a woman in a male dominated workplace or career. No matter how 'hard-nosed,' 'ruthless,' 'workaholic' a woman may be, or how much personal success she achieves, there will always tend to be some type of obstacle to keep her from getting completely to the top of the corporate ladder. She must also still fight stereotypes that undermines her confidence or limits her potential. Since the early 20th century, women and minorities have sought equal opportunities in education and in the labor force with little success. These obstacles or barriers are all known as the glass ceiling.
The business world today is competitive. It's full of fierce, educated, and motivated people. For some people it's tough to rise to the top and for some people it comes much easier. It's not always about hard work! One might ask for a map to the yellow brick road, but few people are ever provided with it. Most people are stuck in an ocean making calculated guesses as to how they can reach land. Which route is the best? How much school is enough? How many certificates of accreditation is enough? How much work experience is enough? All of us ask these questions attempting to navigate our ships in a competitive world were only a few individuals ever get to their targeted career position. How many of those in leadership positions are women?
Gender and leadership? Leadership and gender? A journey through the landscape of theories start off by giving a statistical summary of percentages of women in higher echelon position in the workforce. With this information in the intro, the article quickly highlights the limited representation of women in exclusive positions in Fortune 500 companies. Next, the paper examines multiple theories why this problem exists in the workforce. The four theories examined are biology and sex; gender role; causal factors; and attitudinal drivers (Appelbaum et al, 2003, p. 44).