Women in leadership I have always found to be an interesting subject. Having served in the U.S. Military for many years I have seen many leaders, some of them women. I have watch women try to navigate the levels of Individual, Interpersonal, Societal, and Organizational many times in my career (Northouse, 2013).
When I first joined the military women in combat roles and especially combat leadership roles were new and a somewhat taboo subject. Women had and still do have societal pressure to conform to the more traditional sex roles of women (Northouse, 2013). Women are not supposed to engage in warfare, they are the more caring and gentler sex. This societal pressure caused a lot of interpersonal issues as many males in the military saw women as weak and indecisive as well as felt their best role should be a traditional one such as admin or healthcare.
My first female supervisor struggled with a lot of interpersonal blockage. Most of the males under her leadership did not respect her authority at the same level that was afforded to a male. As a result she came of more authoritative and masculine as she tried to asset her authority over her subordinates (Northouse, 2013). This in turn perpetuated stereotypes and caused a lot people not to view her as good leader.
There were also organizational hurdles, as the military in general did not know how to integrate women inn to combat roles. There were very few mentors for my first female supervisor (Northouse, 2013). She also did not have the evaluations she should have had because of individual hurdles. She was not very good at promoting herself and showing the powers that be how she had contributed to the command (Northouse, 2013). This left her a little bitter and only added to the perception of her being a poor leader and not cut out for the job.
Later in my career I had the pleasure of serving with a female leader that was very successful as a leader and getting past the barriers to leadership. She was able to find a balance between her societal role of being a woman and being feminine yet being authoritative leader. She worked hard to over come stereotypes by proving she had the knowledge and skill to be in a leadership position (Northouse, 2013). She still had interpersonal issues to over come such, as some males did not want to be on her boat at first. She would take this in stride; eventually the person would figure out that she was very good at training her people and pushing them to succeed. This would eventually change people’s minds and make her one of the most sought out leaders in the command.
The organization was better prepared by this time to have women in leadership roles and had clear paths for women that were fully integrated with that of males. There were also more mentors willing to mentor a female by this point as well (Northouse, 2013). Individually she was able to be very good at promoting herself however she did not have to try as hard as my first female supervisor as people took notice of her accomplishments more than my other supervisor (Northouse, 2013). All of this combined to make her a leader that was not seen as a woman, but as her rank and position in the command.
Women can be as successful as males in a leadership role. However there are still many hurdles to over come, many stemming from societal sex roles and what is right for each sex to do. Like Northouse, I think for women to get complete equality in the arena of leadership, sex roles and the gender gap at home will need to be closed (Northouse, 2013). The biggest challenge women face is societies expectations of how a female should behave and act. If given a fair chance woman can be equal to men as leaders.
References:
Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership theory and practice (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications Inc.
Let me first say thank you for your service and for your passion in posting a topic that is often subject to criticism. As a former female Senior Non-commissioned officer and veteran in the military, I would like up a different perspective.
You mentioned that women’s role in combat and/or combat leadership is somewhat new and taboo. I would have to say unless your service entry date was prior to the Vietnam and Korean War, this is not the case. The terminology or belief is somewhat antiquated that women are not allowed in combat and has been quite some time. As of right now there are only a limited number of military jobs (specific to combat arms) that are closed to women, ones that I agree with for reasons separate from abilities and personality. The “combat line” is blurred to say the least which is proven in the thousands of women who have served and are serving in harm’s way. I mention this because by stating this misconception, people are actually perpetuating the situation. Women are allowed in combat. It is no longer taboo, it hasn’t been in quite some time.
The societal pressures to conform are actually less evident in today’s corporate role and even less apparent in the military. The issue I find in the business realm and in the military, is individual’s continual claim/blame for impartiality based on gender. Focusing on the military only, are women still viewed as only capable of filling the positions such as administrative and/or healthcare, yes, because over 60 % of females in the military join to fill those positions. (Administrative, medical, and supply)(Patten & Parker, 2011) We can’t expect equality among positions, if we keep volunteering to fill these roles.
With regards to your first supervisor, by changing her persona to match those of her male counterparts, she actually increased the perception of less effective. (PSU, 2015) Her assumed role was not genuine and not consistent, this can cause doubt and distrust among men and women. The organizational hurdles you spoke of are often self-inflected and can lead to self-fulfilling prophecies, where perceived threats can become reality. A female in the military does not need a female mentor, leadership skills and traits are not based on gender. By providing this excuse, along with the others listed it shows that females can be indecisive and inadequate. In my 12 years, I never had a female mentor but I had multiple male mentors that taught me how to be a good leader with my actions. I did not need to self-promote or leverage attention from the command, my work and my soldiers did that on its own. Her bitter attitude combined with her authoritative position actually did perpetuate the stereotype, but in doing so hindered other women in the military. The lesson commentary explains that women are to be feminine but not overly so, I agree, the word is professional.
Your second example is the most appropriate for embodying leadership and diversity. This leader did fulfill the obligations as a leader without contorting her own persona. Leadership within the military is under scrutiny despite gender, she achieved those goals because she was a good leader not a good female leader.
The issues within the military regarding gender roles are often perceived as stereotyping, but in my experience they were often just not good leaders. If the situation did arise that it was bias treatment because of gender there are measures in place to circumvent. We can longer cry foul or make excuses when a woman doesn’t succeed in the military. When we do, we fulfill the stereotype. The biggest challenge women face isn’t society’s expectations of how a female should behave and act, but that we stop demonstrating the behaviors that put us there. Your last sentence is a perfect example of perception, “If given a fair chance woman can be equal to men as leaders.” Women are equal to men as leaders, doesn’t matter the conditions, the leader will arise.
Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership theory and practice (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications Inc
Patten, & Parker. (2011). Women in the U.S. Military: Growing Share, Distinctive Profile.
My favorite leader was actually a woman. The captain over my unit at my previous base was a woman of Japanese descent, and I think she did a great job of being a decisive leader while also maintaining her femininity. She blended compassion with integrity and adherence to the rules, and I think that is what being a leader is all about—male or female.
One thing that I notice occasionally, most especially when working with the Army or Marines, is the tendency for someone women placed in leadership roles (for example sergeant or officer) to attempt to overcompensate for perceived gender stereotypes. Northouse (2013) talks about the double standard of gender stereotypes, where female leaders need to “come across as extremely competent but also as appropriately ‘feminine’” (pg. 362). I think here that Northouse was referring more to professional vocations, such as management, law, medicine, or office jobs. The difference here is, in some traditionally male-dominated jobs (like the Army/Marines), and most especially in job ratings that require manual labor, some women appear to completely abandon behaviors that are traditionally associated with femininity. By this, I mean that a female sergeant might spit, curse, shout, and chew tobacco with her soldiers, in an effort to win over their respect.
I could be wrong in assuming that she does this only as an act; maybe this is how she behaves at home, even when her soldiers are not around. I think, though, that it’s more likely that this behavior is something that she learned over time that this behavior is a way to get her soldiers to pay attention to what she has to say. The sad part here is that it should not have to be this way, these women should not feel that they have to change their manner of behavior in order to fit in and gain respect. The question is how do we change these stereotypes? I think the best way is to do exactly what society has been doing in the last few years—add more women to the military, and soon enough it won’t be a surprise to see more women in leadership roles. Those who are qualified and able will rise to the top.
References
Northouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and practice. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications.
The topic of women in the work force has become increasingly popular throughout the years, and in general it should be. It is sad to say that there is a stigma surrounded by women that they are viewed as inferior and incapable of leading. Your second and third paragraph paint a great picture of what women have to go through on a daily basis that hold leadership positions. Because of this gender gap and how most of us were raised we have this image of women in our head that they are not suitable to doing anything that is out of the realm of “what women should do.” As stated in our book by Northouse, women are more than capable of preforming just as well as men in leadership positions. The stigmas that surround worn can be changed in many ways and should. Breaking down the barriers can include changes in schools, at the home, in the work place, culture in general and women taking more strategic positions in leading. All of these are just some of many examples in which can help change the way women are viewed in the work force. You have a really great post here with a lot of experiences with women in the work environment! Keep up the good work