Effective leadership often requires a leader to possess certain traits, behaviors, and attitudes that allow them to guide a group of people towards a common goal. Typically, someone who is charismatic, responsible, friendly, and adaptable has the potential to become a successful leader. However, a quality of leadership that people do not consciously take into consideration is gender. For centuries, women were not able to lead because they were considered to be too emotional or not strong enough to direct a large group of people. However, these stereotypes have solely been disproved as more women are becoming CEOs of large companies and are earning their master’s and doctoral degrees (Northouse, 2016). Many women are becoming more empowered and encouraged to seek out higher education in order to qualify for leadership positions. While this is a step in the right direction, people still view successful leaders as masculine and tough and when people see women with these qualities, they are seen as less effective then men (PSUWC, 2020). If a woman does become a leader, then they are expected to take risks, but reserved, and ambitious, but aware that they will never achieve the same status as men. In addition, women may not feel represented in the workplace due to a lack of female leaders, and feel excluded from certain groups because they are male dominated. This can be a problem if a woman is looking for advice from a mentor about how to advance at the company, but there is no one that she really connects to. Women are disproportionately represented in business that are less visible, have less responsibility, and hold less leadership positions (Northouse, 2016). As a result, women are discouraged from inquiring about applying for leadership positions. In order to move past these obstacles that women often face in the workforce, companies need to implement solutions to foster a more supportive environment for women that allow them to feel encouraged to apply for leadership positions. Kelly Ann Doherty, from Forbes, explains different ways that companies can help advance women in the corporate world that will benefit women and the company as a whole.
Currently, women hold approximately 52% of all management and professional level jobs. However, women do not feel represented in leadership positions. Doherty highlights that social stigmas and stereotypes are at the root cause of why women have been unable to move up the corporate ladder and have remained in lower ranked positions (Doherty, 2020). One method that companies can utilize in order to support women is to create a pipeline. This is where businesses develop a plan with different stages in order to achieve a single goal. In terms of using of a pipeline to empower women, when companies hire women, they should observe how they are functioning in the company and how they are being developed and bred for future higher ranked positions. For men, many of them who are hired at a lower ranked position befriend other men who are managers or executives. Eventually, these men are promoted faster than women are and have more benefits at the company. To allow women these same opportunities, companies can ensure that the workplace offers proper support for female employees including development opportunities and executive visibility. This can help expose women to different leadership positions and to show what each role involves. Women can feel confident that the company they work care about them working to progress in the company and become a leader.
Another method to encourage women is to celebrate success (Doherty, 2020). Often times, women do not feel comfortable promoting themselves and going out of their way to talk about their accomplishments. In contrast, men are more vocal in regards to sharing their accomplishments. This behavior reinforces women’s feelings of inferiority and furthers the inequality in the workforce. As a way to prevent this, companies can encourage leaders to acknowledge the success of their employees, both male and female, and highlight the effects that their success has on the company. This behavior acts a positive reinforcer and further encourages women to work hard in order to be recognized. Leaders can acknowledge the accomplishments of women, and may be more likely to promote them or give them more leadership opportunities such as in projects (Doherty, 2020). By pulling more women into company projects, they can show their coworkers what skills they have that can beneficial to the team. Many times, women are given administrative roles in projects that does not allow them to express their ideas and be an active member in the decision making. By not giving women diverse roles, it inhibits their growth and impairs their development. Instead, placing women in roles that they may not initially be used to can allow them to adapt to certain situations and make them a better group member. Women can learn about different areas that they may not be used to, and they can find an area they are passionate about.
Companies that have sponsors and advocates for women can greatly help women feel more represented in the workforce (Doherty, 2020). Some women may have an entry level job, and may not feel like they have much power on influence. As a result, they may feel reticent to speak to an executive about a concern they have about their work. This only prevents women from speaking up and having a voice at their job. By having an advocate, such as a female manager, who has authority at the company can speak to leaders about these concerns and promote women at the office. They can also advocate for bringing more women into projects or corporate meetings. Sometimes it is difficult for women to speak up because they worry about being considered “whiny” or “emotional”. However, a sponsor and advocate can speak on their behalf and help give them the representation that they need in the workplace.
Much progress over the past few decades have helped give women a voice in society. Women are becoming CEOs od Fortune 500 companies, are developing their own businesses and are seeking out higher education. Women are also feeling more represented in society as many women are being elected into Congress and are advocating for women’s rights. However, work still needs to be done in order to allow women to feel more empowered to enter into leadership positions. This progress must begin with people and companies who hold stigmas and stereotypes that deter women from seeking out higher level positions in the workforce (Northouse, 2016). This change can start by including women in businesses more, exposing them to leadership opportunities and giving them the ability to voice their opinions. Once this occurs, women will feel encouraged to take on more leadership jobs and improve the workforce.
References
Doherty, K. A. (2020, March). Women in Leadership: How To Move the Needle. Retrieved from Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeshumanresourcescouncil/2020/03/06/women-in-leadership-how-to-move-the-needle/#6269a6824b05
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: theory and practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc
Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2011). PSYCH 485 Lesson 13: Leadership and Diversity