As we know it, even today we can safely assume that majority of leadership positions in companies across the nation and even globally are held by men rather then women. According to the lesson there are only 6 women CEOs in fortune 500 companies. Bias in sex stereotypes created problems for women in a way that any managerial positions were defined by characteristics of masculinity and therefore filled by men. According to different type of studies on women in leadership, it has been recognized that women and men have distinctive style of leadership. While women tend to have a democratic type of leadership, men usually have a more directive style of leadership (PSU, 2018)
Also, the studies revealed that females were seen negatively in a male-dominated leadership role. It has also been recognized that women who use the autocratic style of leadership are much less effective in their leadership role. According Northouse, women earn 57% of the bachelor’s degree, 60% of master’s degree and more than half of doctoral degree, but still men are the prominent group in the America’s corporations and political system. There are several reasons why only a few number of women reach top executive positions (PSU, 2018)
According to Glass Ceiling theory, women haven’t been in managerial positions long enough unlike their counterpart to reach the top of the organizations. Secondly, women lack management position. Third, women lack self confidence and are less suited for these top executive positions. To understand why women are underrepresented in high-level positions revolve around; differences in women’s and men’s backing in human capital, next category is understanding gender differences and finally the focus goes on prejudice and discrimination against female leaders (Northouse, 2016).
There are also other disadvantages such as organizational barriers. For example, higher standard of performance which means that women are expected to perform higher and achieve more to overcome the stereotype. There is also, inhospitable corporate culture where discourages balance of work and family. Also, preference in gender similarity in promotion decisions and ignorance by male CEOs and male peers along with lack of developmental opportunities. All of these are barriers against women reaching the top executive positions. There are also personal barriers as well (PSU, 2018).
In conclusion we understand that women in leadership positions are slightly at a disadvantage. We understand that women should not act like men since it is not perceived by men favorably. Also, women shouldn’t be too passive either, since it would make them look less effective. We should keep in mind in addition to personal, and interpersonal barriers, there are organizational and even cultural barriers as well. However, we all know that things are not as bad as they used to be for women. Even though women and leadership stereotype might still exist, women now have the same equal opportunities as men and I am sure soon they’ll be more positive changes for women looking for leadership opportunities and positions.
References:
Northouse, P.G., (2016). Psychology 485: Leadership: Theory and Practice. Lesson 13: Gender and Leadership. Los Angeles: Sage Publications
Penn State University, (2018). Psychology 485: Leadership: Theory and Practice. Lesson 13: Leadership and Diversity.
bac5496 says
The female CEO situation at Fortune 500 companies is slightly better than was outlined in the lesson. As of January, 2018 there are 27 female CEOs at Fortune 500 companies, but that number will decrease slightly this year, if it hasn’t already (Fortune, n.d.). By no means is this number acceptable or easy to understand.
I’m a female Vice President at my organization and I’m all too familiar with the gender biases in the corporate environment. I don’t want to focus on the biases, we all known that women are under represented in the C-suite and there is a gender pay gap. These are real facts. You touch on organizational barriers, which is where I want to focus my comments.
For starters, the lesson outlined higher standards of performance as a barrier where women have to perform at a higher level than male counterparts (PSWC, 2018). This is very real but sometimes I have to wonder if this was self-created. I work in the logistics industry, which was man dominated when I started in the industry more than 15 years ago. While it has become more diversified over the years, women are still under represented in the C-Suite. For example, I am on the senior leadership team for the freight division; I am one female in a group of 10 members on the senior leadership freight team. 10% is slightly better than a little over 5% of the female representatives on the Fortune 500 CEO list. I digress. As a Vice President and throughout my career in logistics I have always strived to outperform my male counterparts to prove that I am just as deserving to be in leadership role. It should be sufficient that I perform as well as my male counterparts but in my mind by outperforming my male counterparts I am solidifying my position. I’m sure there are others that are of the same mindset. Therefore, is the higher standards of performance excepted because that is what is expected or is that what is expected because that is what women have historically done. I don’t have research to support either argument, just ideas for pondering.
The lesson outlines inhospitable corporate culture including the discouragement of work / family balance, the mindset that women shouldn’t be in top positions and the lack of resources for women to accomplish goals (PSWC, 2018). Breaking this down, the discouragement of work/family balance is a product of the culture of an organization. I have worked for organizations where work/family balance is a challenge due to the demands of the job. However, in my current position this is not the case as the company overall encourages a balance in order to have more satisfied employees. Work/family balance is a challenge for anyone. I don’t have children and therefore have had more flexibility to dedicate more time to work. I think the idea is women still identify with being the caregivers at home and therefore work/family balance is more of a challenge for women due to their commitment to home. However we cannot overlook the stereotype placed on women that they will at some point leave to raise a family. Northouse states that research has shown that female commitment to employment is the same level as men and both identify their working role second to their role in the family (Northouse, 2016).
The last two organizational barriers of preference for gender similarity and lack of developmental opportunities are both blatant gender bias. It has been established that women are obtaining college degrees at a rate higher than men and that their level of commitment in the workplace is equal to that of men (Northouse, 2016). There is the question of women’s leadership effectiveness. Northouse stated that women were less effective in masculine roles and roles where they managed a larger population of males (Northouse, 2016). However, couldn’t the opposite be said for males? Would males be more or less effective in more feminine roles? Or in positions where they had to manage a larger population of females?
This is going to be a debate for at least a few more years to come. Arguments can be made on both sides as to the abilities of females to be leaders. I won’t deny that there have been some very ineffective female leaders, but the same can be said for men. I’m hopeful that one day we all can decide to stop considering gender when we evaluate whether a person can lead at the C-level and start looking solely at the abilities and experience of the individual. I personally have spent a lot of money on my education and plan on spending more as I start grad school in the fall. I would hate to think that I have reached the pinnacle at the Vice President level before I even completed my undergraduate degree.
References
Northouse, P.G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Seventh Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.
Penn State World Campus (2018). Lesson 13: Leadership and Diversity. Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1923777/modules/items/23736305