In 2008 the world witnessed the very first election of an African American president of the United States. The unthinkable happened. The barriers of African Americans predicted that it would never happen. The social dominance theory educates us on the hierarchies of status. Bieng male was in his favor but being African American wasn’t. Obama broke through those barriers, and with it gave a lot of people hope for change. In today’s diverse society, is it possible for there to be a very first female American president?
Women are tired of men coming up with answers they feel are reasons for the inequality. Men do not want to give up their power to women, so they create explanations. Just the same, the barriers for woman are not that different from the barriers for African Americans. Organizational barriers like the promotion of gender similarity hold women back from obtaining higher positions. Personal barriers like giving into the status quo and feeling like they are fighting a losing battle have plagued women for years. The unequal treatment of women is slowly being recognized as a problem. Women are starting to fight back. They are no longer just stay at home moms, uninterested and uneducated in the economy. Today women are becoming more involved in the issues that were once decided by men. They are becoming leaders in business as well as in politics. Northouse states that women represent only 3% of Fortune 500 CEO’s and hold only 90 of the 535 seats in the United States Congress. Are more women in politics the answer to closing the leadership gap and equal rights for women? I think it would only give us the same hope that Obama gave African Americans, that it is possible. Some African Americans were hoping that he would save the race from their inequalities. Without the help of every single one of us, that type of change is not possible. I believe that there will soon be a woman elected president of the United States. I just hope she is ready!
Northouse, P. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice.
Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.
William A. Roeder says
To be honest with you, I think that men are tired of getting blamed for this issue in the same way that women are tired of men trying to make excuses. According to social dominance theory, men (the in-group) and women (the out-group) *both* perpetuate the perceived inequalities based on their level of social dominance orientation. Someone who is high in social dominance orientation will attempt to maintain the hierarchical status quo, regardless of gender; whereas people like you and me with low social dominance orientation will be more perceptive of the inequalities. Yes, a man who is high in social dominance orientation will assert himself by not willfully relinquishing his power to women, but a woman high in social dominance orientation will essentially “fall in line” and let men dominate her. However, for you to make a blanket statement that “men do not want to give up their power to women” is just as intolerant as you accuse men of being in the first place. There are plenty of men who want equal opportunities for women, but if you keep yourself shut off to them, you’ll never be able to notice them.
References:
Pratto, F., Sidanius, J., Stallworth, L. M., & Malle, B. F. (1994). Social dominance orientation: A personality variable predicting social and political attitudes.. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67(4), 741-763.