I credit Torild Skard, a psychologist, former Member of Parliament in Norway and Senior Researcher at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs for inspiring me to use the metaphor of a labyrinth. In Women of power: Half a century of female presidents and prime ministers worldwide, Skard (2014) makes the point that a ‘glass ceiling’ is too simplistic; a labyrinth is more descriptive of the challenges that women in leadership face.
While the topic of women in leadership was virtually ignored until the 1970s, early research (Day & Stogdill, 1972; Deaux, 1976; Dimarco & Witsitt, 1975; Kaley. 1971) asserted that women were inferior to men and lacked skills and traits necessary for managerial success. Scholars started to ask ‘Can women lead?’ and opinions started to shift as people experienced women’s leadership in various organizations. A meta-analysis done two decades later by Eagly & Johnson (1990) found that Women were NOT found to lead in a more interpersonally oriented & less task-oriented manner than men in organizations. The only gender difference – women use a more participative or democratic style than men. The literature demonstrated that females were evaluated unfavorably when they used a directive or autocratic style (stereotypically male) and both female and male leaders were evaluated favorably when they used a democratic leadership style (stereotypically feminine).
Today of course
The primary research questions now are “Do men and women lead differently?” and “Are men more effective leaders than women?” which are often subsumed under a larger question: Why are women underrepresented in elite leadership roles? (Northouse, 2016, p. 398).
How can leaders level the playing field so that both women and men can have equal opportunities to make meaningful contributions in leadership? The culture in many North American organizations is changing. Gendered work assumptions are being challenged. There is increasing parity in domestic responsibilities and more women professionals and entrepreneurs. One practical way to reduce gender bias is to use advanced analytics to screen resumes to identify and remove gender bias resulting in a more diversified pool of talent and higher-quality candidates overall. Another way is to facilitate bias training with those involved with hiring to create more awareness. In the field of education, the power of literature and powerful female characters can be transformative. The Catalyst publication (2016) linked to in the references and resources section provides many practical suggestions for how to design a more inclusive workplace. Another excellent resource that is evidence based and highly readable is What Works: Gender Equality by Design by Iris Bohnet (2016), also referenced below.
The issue of gender equality in leadership needs to be addressed at the individual, interpersonal, organizational and societal levels. A more androgynous conception of leadership focusing on best practice is what is needed. How might leaders embrace the challenge? During the MA Lead program you have an opportunity to recognize your potential as a leader to transform the culture and spark social change, and be leaders who will work to achieve gender equality. Through education that builds competence and confidence, women are mentored towards a leadership approach that is inclusive and transformative. It’s an approach that helps women find their voice and their style while focusing on issues that are relevant and about which they are passionate to make a difference. Once women gain in their competence and confidence they have what is needed to navigate the labyrinth of being a woman in leadership. Whether you are a woman or not, this is a contemporary issue that all leaders need to be aware of and willing to address in their context.
#####References
Bohnet, I. (2016). What works: Gender equality by design. London: Belkap Press of Harvard Univeristy Press.
Day D.,Stogdill R. (1972). Leader behavior of male and female supervisors: A comparative study. _Personnel Psychology, 25 _(2),353–360.
Deaux K. (1976). The behavior of women and men. Monterey: Brooks/Cole Publishing Co.
DiMarco N.,Whitsitt S. E. (1975). A comparison of female supervisors in business and government organizations. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 6,185–196.
Eagly & Johnson (1990). Gender and Leadership Style: A Meta Analysis. Psychological Bulletin 108(2), 233-256.
Kaley, M. (1971). Attitudes toward the dual role of the married professional woman. American Psychologist 3, 26:301-307.
Nugent, J., Pollack, A. & D. Travis, (2016). The Day to day experiences of workplace inclusion and exclusion. Retrieved from http://www.catalyst.org/system/files/the_day_to_day_experiences_of_workplace_inclusion_and_exclusion.pdf
Skard, T. (2014) Women of Power. Bristol, U.K.: Policy Press at University of Bristol