The Iron Lady is dead. Margaret Thatcher died earlier this week. A divisive figure of global politics, she was one of the most prominent female leaders of our time. Ronald Reagan once called her “the best man in England” perhaps succumbing to pervasive gender stereotypes (Northouse 2013) and assuming the highest compliment a female leader can receive is to be called a man. I was nine and in living in Charleston, SC when she was forced from power, so I don’t I know much about the deceased prime minister, but I wonder how she did it. How did she position herself into ruler of the United Kingdom? A female prime minister? I think she even had twins somewhere on her climb to the top. How did she balance it all? The campaigning, the kids, the husband, the speeches, the international crises?
I don’t know how she did it. I don’t know how I’m going to do it. I have two small ones, a full time job, and school. The balancing act is already taking its toll. Northouse puts it this way, “Domestic and child-rearing expectations impose an additional burden on women climbing the leadership ladder…” Thankfully my husband works at a job with a flexible schedule or I wouldn’t have gotten this far but what do I do when my next job takes even more of my time? Do I “become ‘superwomen’ and attempt to excel in every role,” or do I “take leaves of absence, take sick days, or choose part-time employment to juggle these work-home conflicts?” (Northouse 2013) Honestly, (and I’m not certain this is wholly a female issue) I don’t care to fight that fight. My family will always take precedence. Maybe that will affect my ability to advance and maybe it won’t.
Or maybe it doesn’t have to. I’ve heard it said, “The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you‘re still a rat.” A part of me feels like I should grind out the fight and slog through the mire of prejudice and glass ceilings and eventually become the leader I know I can be. That same part of me wants to represent the full potential and capabilities of the female sex. But I don’t want to be a rat, even if I’m an awesome, empowered female rat. If I can, I’ll take another path. “Women-owned businesses account for 40% of all privately owned businesses, employ more than 13 million people, and generate $1.9 trillion in sales,” (Northouse 2013). That’s my path.
I know starting a business has the potential to remove me from my family just as much as a full time job bent on climbing the managerial ladder but it’ll be my choice. My success or failure will come because I gave too little or just enough, made the wrong or the right choice, caught a break or missed it. My success or failure won’t come because of the “impediments women face… stemming from the incongruity between the female gender role and leadership role.” (Northouse 2013) I won’t have to worry about the arbitrary balance of perceived strength and femininity imposed on me by others. I will have a balance to keep with my beautiful girls but that’s a balancing act I’m ready for. You can call me the ‘Iron Lady 2.0’.
Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.