When determining whether women lead in a more “democratic, or participative, manner than men” or whether this role was placed upon them due to gender roles and the fact that women are more devalued when “they led in a masculine manner” is like asking which came first the chicken or the egg (Northouse, 2013, p. 351)? Where they placed in a box where in order to be considered a leader they had to act in a more submissive or democratic way in order to get ahead which led them to tone down their aggressiveness and assertiveness? Or, as some would believe, is this style of leadership what comes natural to female? I would like to discuss both of these ideologies as well as the organizational, interpersonal, and personal barriers associated with them.
Many stereotypes have been placed on female personality, behavior and capabilities. These stereotypes carry over into perceptions of female capabilities as leaders. Women have been considered to experience more passive emotions such as “sadness, happiness, fear, and surprise” more so than men. Men supposedly have more dominant emotions (“Feminist psychology – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia”, n.d.). This falls into the category of interpersonal barriers because there is a gender prejudice. People still believe that because of these female traits that women cannot make a good leader. This is a vicious cycle for women wanting to gain leadership roles because many people think a good leader needs to be masculine (PSU World Campus, 2013, L.13). On the other hand, females “experience slight effectiveness disadvantages in masculine leader roles” (Northouse, 2013, p. 352). So it is sort of a lose lose situation that women are placed in. A leader is stereotyped as needing to be someone strong and assertive but then women are looked down upon in leadership roles for having these characteristics. This opens the question of whether some women are naturally more aggressive and dominant in personality and leadership styles but they have to hide those attributes in order to even be considered for advancing in their fields because they won’t get opportunities or be well received. It seems to me that women are being place in a feminine box full of stereotypes that are applicable to some women but certainly not all. On top of that women who are more dominant are made to stifle it in order to be given a chance. Whether or not women have been forced to act in a certain manner there is research that shows that some do lead in an overall different manner, more successfully than men. Women incorporate more effectively the democratic style, participatory style, transformational leadership behaviors, and contingent reward (Northouse, 2013, p. 352).
One of the areas I feel contributes the most to discrimination against women in leadership positions are organizational barriers followed by personal barriers. I believe all the issues that fall under the organizational barriers restrict women’s progression the most. There may be gender stereotypes but this is the arena in which these are put into action. Some of these issues concern how there are higher standards of performance expected from women in order to even be considered equivalent to men. There are gender preferences in promotions because it has been found that people promote others like them. So if you are a white male leader you will gravitate to the same. Another issue is the lack of developmental opportunities because women are not given assignments that will necessarily lead to advancement. The last issues are ones that fall under organizational barriers but leads into personal barriers. It is the fact that women are not given opportunities because they discourage the “balance of work and family” which leads into how women are usually the one in charge of taking care of the children as well as “non-work responsibilities” (PSU World Campus, 2013, L.13).
All things considered one thing is very apparent; women are discriminated against and not given ample opportunities in leadership roles or promotions. This is not based on their capabilities but by society and stereotypes. It is alarming how much gender bias is still playing a role in the lives of women. The fact that women only make up “16% of Fortune 500 corporate officers, 12% of board directors, 16% of state governors, 14% of United States senators, 2% of high-level military officers, and 24% of university and college professors” should be shocking, especially to women (“Feminist psychology – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia”, n.d.). It is time for a change.
References
Feminist psychology – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved April 15, 2013, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminist_psychology
Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
Pennsylvania State University. (2013). Lesson 13: Leadership and Diversity. Retrieved from:
https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/sp13/psych485/001/content/13_lesson/05_page.html