The difficulty that women encounter in making their way into leadership positions is laden with challenges and is viewed as a labyrinth that women have to navigate through if they choose to advance in their careers. The challenges that arise in the leadership labyrinth based on the views of McDonagh, & Paris (2012), women can use the navigation of the labyrinth to their advantage and obtain wisdom and master the ability to understand when these challenges arise and how to work tactfully around them. (McDonagh & Paris, 2012, p.24) Northouse (2016) discusses that there are three differences in women’s and men’s investments that are depicted in Figure 15.1, from Northouse (2016, p.400) which show how human capital, the genders differences, as well as the prejudice and discrimination affect women in navigating the leadership labyrinth. Three different experiences of women in my current organization are prime examples of how women navigate each of these areas of the theory of the leadership labyrinth.
The vast under representation of women in top leadership positions has been a topic of study beginning around the 1970’s. (Northouse, 2016, p.397) The lack of women in top leadership positions was initially coined in 1986 as the glass ceiling in that there was a barrier that was invisible that women would inevitability hit at a point in their careers disallowing them from progressing. This definition has been shifted into what has been coined as the leadership labyrinth in that the journey to top leadership positions will be full of challenges and difficulties along the way that with successful navigation can be worked through. (Hansen, 2009) Northouse (2016) discusses the explanations as to why there is such a drastic difference in women’s and men’s presence in high-level leadership positions.
A woman named Trina within my office has worked her way through the organization. She began her career working as a contracted employee working for the government. She attended classes at night and became a subject matter expert in her trade. She was hired on as a federal employee after a number of years. She is not recognized by others in the office as being knowledgeable in certain aspects of our office related tasks that she provides training to and openly discusses with co-workers. She does not dispute her perceived lack of competence and knowledge. Trina has applied for a supervisory position and those in upper management are not to providing Trina an opportunity to be considered for the position.
There are two key issues that surround this experience. The first was that my co-worker Trina is competent and knowledgeable in the organizations performance and the goals that are required by the mission of the Department of the Navy. However, she is viewed as not being capable during weekly staff meetings and does not receive recognition for providing advice to her peers. The second key issue is that she meets several times with her supervisor about the path to making work lead and makes her case to be considered as based on her performance with the and is consistently denied. If she were to involve herself in the organizations mentorship program it would allow her the opportunity to broaden her, “developmental opportunities” surrounding her career. (Northouse, 2016, p.401). Secondly, the idea of “psychology of prejudice” being the reason cultural stereotypes are stacked against women of she was to switch her approach in meetings with superiors in meetings to bridge the incongruity between female gender and the leadership role in the firm. (Santovec, 2010) Her supervisor tells her that the submarine force is predominately a male field as our office has never had a female supervisor.
This particular experience first explanation shows the struggle that women face against placed next to their male counterparts in the differences in human capital in that women have supposedly less invested in their personal education, training and work experiences. Based on the research conducted through the Pew Research Center this supposed difference in human capital actually is more reflective of the opposite. In today’s society women are more likely than their male counterparts to graduate from college. In 2013, “37% of women ages 25 to 29 had at least a bachelor’s degree, compared with 30% of men in the same age range” (Pew Research Center, 2015, p.15).
The next experience I myself am involved in on a regular basis with the male co-workers in my office. Many of the individuals within my office including myself are prior Navy. I worked in the Navy as a mechanic on auxiliary equipment. This role in the military is predominately male and is viewed as a very masculine position. When I transitioned out of the military as a sailor and began working with prior sailors in a civilian setting I found that offering my opinion in this new environment was not perceived as well as it had been in the military. I am not heard when I offer my opinion and come across as being masculine in how I interact with my peers. Based on the findings from a large-scale meta-analysis conducted by Eagly, Makhijani, & Klonsky (1992) the evaluation of male and female leaders found that when women led in a “masculine” manner the view on the female leader was seen as devalued. (Northouse, 2016, p.402) In this aspect women have found that using a more democratic style leads to more favorable results in leadership roles. (Northouse, 2016, p.402) I have identified that the women within my office that tend to have more of a feminine manner in how they interact with their male counterparts have an overall more effective interaction and relationship with the male peers within the office.
There are a number of sailors in positions of leadership who work within my organization that are highly qualified and high ranking within the military. However, they face a fair amount of prejudice and discrimination when they become pregnant. The difficulty with being pregnant within the military that in most cases a position held by the pregnant sailor can be harmful to their health and that of their unborn child. This factor requires that these females are moved and placed into other jobs with less hazardous conditions. Many of these women attempt to hide the fact that they are pregnant because once moved it harms their chances of learning their job and advancing their career. This type experience of perpetuates the cultural stereotypes that surround women in today’s society. (Santovec, 2010, p.1) The differences in how women and men are viewed based on stereotypes can lead to the detriment of female leaders. “Women are regarded as higher in ‘communion’ and lower in ‘agency’ compared with men who are considered to be agentic.” (Santovec, 2010, p.1) In this situation it can be difficult to navigate through this challenge of prejudice and discrimination of being pregnant while in the military. In my organization however, there are more opportunities for female sailors who are pregnant to still be placed in positions that are less hazardous while pregnant with the integration of enlisted female sailors on board Trident Submarines. (CNO, 2016)
The successful navigation through the challenges that can arise for female leaders can benefit their ability to move into higher-level positions and increase their overall effectiveness as leaders. Organizational reform can provide as an approach in shifting how women leaders are viewed. Reorganizing the norms in the workplace and providing women with more opportunities to develop their careers can also help women navigate these challenges. The addition of mentoring programs and providing women with opportunities to lead in positions that are considered higher-level will help in this regard as well. The negotiation of role expectations and shifting of a women’s particular qualities to be more reflective of “a combination of warmth with agentic qualities…and individualized consideration with inspirational motivation”, (Northouse, 2016, p.420) would also provide women with the ability to develop their careers. There are many challenges that women face in navigating the leadership labyrinth. The approaches that were posed to each of the individuals in each of these experiences within my organization show their ability to use the theories presented by Northouse (2016) can be applied to effectively maneuver around the challenges women face to elevate their careers to be able to reach the high-leveled positions of leadership.
References
Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Washington D.C., (2016). NAVADMIN 196/16-ENLISTED WOMEN IN SUBMARINES RATING CONVERSION PROCESS CYCLE 3. Retrieved June 28, 2018 from https://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-npc/reference/messages/Documents/NAVADMINS/NAV2016/NAV16196.txt
Eagly, A. H., Makhijani, M. G., & Klonsky, B. G. (1992). Gender and the evaluation of leaders: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 111(1), 3-22. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.111.1.3. Retrieved June 28, 2018 from https://search-proquest-com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/docview/1296896476?pq-origsite=summon&accountid=13158
Hansen, S.B. Sex Roles (2009) 60: 748. Retrieved June 28, 2018 from https://link-springer-com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/content/pdf/10.1007%2Fs11199-008-9546-8.pdf
McDonagh, K. J., & Paris, N. M., (2012). The leadership labyrinth: Career advancement for women. Frontiers of Health Services Management, 28(4), 22-28. Retrieved from http://ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/docview/1038848907?accountid=13158
Northouse, P.G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice (7th ed.) Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Pew Research Center, (2015). Women and Leadership: Public Says Women are Equally Qualified, but Barriers Persist, pp.1-55. Retrieved from http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2015/01/14/women-and-leadership/
Santovec, M. L., (2010). Women’s Metaphor: From ‘Glass Ceiling’ to ‘Labyrinth’. Women in Higher Education, 19(12), 1-2. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/whe.10122/full