The title of my blog immediately insinuates a challenge. It insinuates a challenge that represents doubt, negativism, disbelief and discord regarding women and men of ethnic cultural groups from being equal leaders in America. Is this still an issue in 2015? At the turn of the 20th century, Mahatma Gandhi led the peaceful charge against the British rule regarding equality, leadership, respect and homesteading; ultimately winning but paying a heavy price. We in the United States have long past the days of the Jim Crow Laws and surly passed the days of 13th(abolishment of slavery), 14th (anyone born or naturalized it the US are American Citizens), 15th (cannot deny a citizen the right to vote) and the 19th (a citizen will not be denied the right to vote based on sex) amendments to the constitution. Yet there continues to be a cultural and gender imbalance in our society.
As a personal testimony I can say that I have had the great fortune of being lead twice, throughout my military career, by two outstanding women leaders who have risen to the position of US Embassy Office of Defense Cooperation Chief and US Embassy Military Group Director, both answering only to the US Ambassador. Both of these leaders have broken the glass ceiling and blazed a bath for the rest of us to follow. I am aware there have been many others such as General Colin Powell (first African American, non-West Point graduate to become Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff), Sonia Maria Sotomayor (current US Supreme Court Justice) and Condoleezza Rice (66th US SECSTATE) throughout our history, but it has not been a consistent representation.
Based on my direct experience and from a male perspective, I question why I have not had more female leaders in my career. Little by little I can see that changes have been made and that more need to come, “Changes in organizations are beginning to make it easier for women to reach top positions. The culture of many organizations is changing; gendered work assumptions such as the male model of work, the notion of uninterrupted full-time careers, and the separation of work and family are being challenged (Cooper & Lewis, 1999; Williams, 2010)” (Northouse, 2013, pg. 360). The continuing of the chipping away at the infamous “Glass Ceiling” by notable women (and men), from diverse cultures, will inevitably make the breakthrough and level the playing field.
I believe and feel that we need to learn to be “more” color blind, and gender blind when it comes to putting the right person in the position of leadership. How and why are there less standards for the “Good Ol’ Boys” when the rest have to work twice as hard to prove them selves. Especially for women, I think there is an unfair sense of expectation, support and judgment placed and passed – Higher standards of performance – Inhospitable corporate culture Preference for gender similarity in promotion decisions – Ignorance by male CEOs and male peers/Lack of developmental opportunities – Gender prejudice – Lack of emotional support/access to informal networks – Lack of white male mentors – Lack of political savvy – Work-home conflict.
A notable point – the definition of culture –
“Culture is the learned behaviors characterizing the total way of life of members within any given society (Hofstede, 2001, Hughes, Ginnett, & Curphy, 2012). In a global economy, it is important for business leaders to become aware of and respectful of cultural differences and cultural perspectives” (Gutworth PSYCH 485: 2015, CHP 13, p.g. 6). Once we begin to challenge this definition regarding to the way we look and judge each other, we will be able to make genuine advances towards our societal outlook on women and cultural differences.
Lastly, although we have seen women in leadership positions (real life and movies), and they have embodied the expectation that male followers most likely appeal to, I don’t think that women have been allowed to compete as women. I had the same respect for my mother as I did my father, but never question that both had comparable authority – yet my mother maintained femininity, and my father his masculinity.
I will close with a video clip of a women director and her persona – although her sense of command and control is impressive, I can see how the cultural and social influence of the job imposes pressure of having to compensate for being a woman in a male dominated work environment. I personally do not see this persona needed to be respected; we have more work to do in leveling the playing field in implementing respect for gender equality.
- Gutworth, M., (2015), PSYCH 485: Leadership in Work Settings, Penn State
Angel, Retrieved from: https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/su15/psych485/002/content/13_lesson/06_page.html
- Northouse, P. (2013). Leadership: Theory and practice (6th ed.). Los Angeles: Sage Publications.