The current conditions that women face toward the accomplishment of high level leadership positions are slowly changing. Society has placed a glass ceiling creating trials that women must overcome to accomplish their leadership goals. “In the theory of cultural evolution human behavior as a whole, or given parts of culture or society develop from simpler to more complex forms.” (Britanica) Trials and tribulations over time slowly begin to change the entity that is in conflict. The general consensus that women are at a loss in the gender gap may actually be a position of underlying power. “Gender gap is defined as a global phenomenon whereby women are disproportionately concentrated in lower-level and lower-authority leadership positions compared to men.” (Northouse, 2013) The definition has negative connotations but the situation can also be viewed as a position of development and an opportunity for progression. As time passes and women are continuously overlooked for leadership positions the organization of women in leadership will begin to evolve. Women will learn skills and discover successful avenues that promote and are in congruence with their style of leadership. These trials and tribulations in the ascension of leadership will produce stronger women leaders attributed to the advantages from years of navigating the upper echelons of business.
When will this evolution of sorts come to fruition? For women to completely transverse the glass ceiling may be a distant goal, but there are visible strides being made on both sides of the corporate power structure. With the passage of time in any evolution the balance will further shift and even out. What will be most interesting, in my opinion, will be the style of leadership that this long period of inequality will produce as most effective for women and men alike. As a society we prefer women to lead a certain way, dominant and strong like male leaders, but also still identifying with the feminine attributes of being a woman. This evolution is documented as evident in the Northouse text referencing, “recent research that indicates women have become significantly more masculine by becoming more assertive and valuing leadership and power without losing their femininity.” (Northouse, 2013)
The evidence is promising for women in leadership positions. “Women are obtaining undergraduate degrees at a far higher rate than men, women are earning professional and doctoral degrees at a rate greater than or nearly equal to that of men, and Women-owned businesses account for 40% of all privately owned businesses.” (Northouse, 2013) But the development of women’s leadership evolution is a dynamic process that must be progressed vigilantly by men and women seeking the best leaders in society. While the male leaders continue to dominate high level leadership positions and continue to work in a predictable enterprise arrangement, women will be overcoming obstacles and face events where they must prove that their specific leadership has the ability to successfully reach goals. The evolution of powerful and successful women leaders is inevitable. We must only follow the progress of history to realize that cultural evolution for women is a ongoing process of society.
Works Cited
Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
Pauls, Elizabeth. (nd) Cultural Evolution. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved From, http://www.britannica.com/topic/cultural-evolution