I have been lucky enough to never have to experience gender inequality. Growing up I had both men and women teachers, coaches, and friends. Even in the sport of cheerleading, men were always welcome and were not treated any differently than women. Gender inequality was something that I never thought about until recently, when a friend of mine graduated from college. He graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering, and pursued a career in the engineering field. He has discussed many of his experiences with me, and has even said that sometimes he feels women are put into leadership roles not because of their knowledge and ability, but because of the need to meet diversification standards.
Being a woman, I understand the importance of gender equality. However I do believe that the gender gap that exists today can be supported by the pipeline theory in Northouse. (2013) The pipeline theory proposes that the reason why women do not hold as many leadership positions as men is because they have not held leadership positions for as long as men and have not become part of the natural promotion process. I feel as though this theory is valid in the engineering world. The number of women in the engineering field in the past was extremely small as compared to men. Women simply were not there to be promoted into the leadership roles like men.
In today’s world, the advocacy and stress placed on gender equality is increasing. Organizations that help support and address the issue of gender inequality have been established, such as the Society of Women Engineers. The Society of Women Engineers created a Corporate Partnership Council, where they partner with many major companies and share information about the best equality initiatives, practices, and steps to take to ensure gender equality. A lot of great things have resulted from organizations such as the Society of Women Engineers, however there is a downside.
Corporate partners must ensure that there are opportunities for women to grow within their companies. This may lead upper leadership to place women in management positions because of their gender, not because of their knowledge or ability. When companies have more women in leadership roles they appear to be more diverse and will be viewed more favorably by the public. There may be alternative motives behind why companies place women in the roles that they do, which will lead to negative performances. In turn, the company will suffer.
I believe that equality is necessary, but it must be achieved under the basis of knowledge, ability, and background. If a man or woman is deserving of a leadership role, they should be given it. If they are not qualified, they should not be placed in a leadership role based on gender alone.
References:
Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2013). PSYCH 485 Lesson 13: Leadership and Diversity. Retrieved on April 9, 2013, from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/sp13/psych485/003/content/13_lesson/01_page.html
I’m glad that you began to touch upon how it is necessary for companies to offer positions and opportunities to both genders as long as they are knowledgeable and capable. I believe that people get caught up in the argument over gender that they may miss the underlying factor that maybe in some of these situations, the male was actually more qualified than the female. The glass ceiling effect is undeniable and I do believe men can be given more opportunities than women in certain situations but I also believe that reverse discrimination can exist. People look at a male who retains a lot of power and has an important position and assume that it is solely because he is a male but don’t take into consideration that maybe he did actually work really hard to get where he is. In one of the discussions, our classmate mentioned how she had to give a speech in front of just males, which I can imagine to be extremely intimidation, and she said how she may not have said as much because of that. If that were to happen in an interview, it is unfortunate but a woman cannot let her audiences affect her and than say it is because she is female that she didn’t get the job.
As previously stated in my response to a discussion board, I struggle with this topic because I acknowledge the need for diversity however it leaves the door open for unqualified individuals to get promoted. One could argue that this has been going on for a long time due to the in-group favoritism. This theory states that individuals will hire people that are similar to them (PSU WC, 2013). I agree that the pipeline theory is a hindrance for woman. I believe though tat if enough initiative is taken then ambition can set someone up well for mentorships and leader development. When there are not enough woman in leadership positions for long enough then yes it is limiting but am a firm believer in making your own success.