“Too often does motherhood equate hitting that glass ceiling.” (Women’s Policy Journal, Volume 6, 2009, P 42). In the case study in Northouse, 2016, we read about, Marina Soslow, who is afraid to tell her boss that she is expecting a baby because she has seen similar situations in the past in which her female coworkers were treated unfairly and eventually were eased out of their positions. (Northouse, 2016, P 414). In the Women’s Policy Journal, they argue that women tend to have children during the most demanding time periods of their careers. (Women’s Policy Journal, Volume 6, 2009, P 42).
When I first began this blog post, I was considering how something so complicated as prejudice can be eliminated from the workplace by leaders. This is a problem that has been around for many years and it is something that cannot be solved easily. In the 60’s, John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act, which was an attempt to eliminate wage discrepancies based on the gender of an individual. (Women’s Policy Journal, Volume 6, 2009, P 42). This is now over half a century ago, and the wage gap has not been eliminated. According to Joe Angelo in (Women’s Policy Journal, Volume 6, 2009, P 40) “President Obama [recently] announced that women in this country continue to earn just 78 cents for every dollar their male counterparts are paid. The good news is that this is 9 cents more on the dollar than in 1975 when the sum was only 69 cents. In addition to the monetary discrepancy, this “discounting” of women subjects them to adverse secondary effects in our larger community.” The concept of women receiving less pay seems to be an accepted situation in the work force. Gender prejudice has been an issue for many years and it will not be something that is easily terminated. I believe that a good leader can help to minimize prejudice in the workplace, however they cannot eliminate it, but only deal with situations as they arise.
A leader is required to implement or sometimes create policy as problems arise. This is the easy part of leadership. Implementing these policies is where leadership qualities are tested. A leader cannot quote the policy handbook and discipline individuals as the problems arise. Anyone can do that. A true leader will create a culture in which people are intrinsically motivated to act morally because they believe in the outcomes and the common goal.
In Unit 7, we discussed ethical leadership. In one of my blog posts, I wrote, “leaders have a strong influence on their followers and because of this, they are obligated to do what is morally right. (Northouse, 2016). These obligations include treating staff fairly, creating policies and abiding by them, and knowing the difference between right and wrong. Van Buren suggests that a staff that is treated morally, will have higher efficacy which in turn creates a happier work environment that produces higher quality work.” (Thompson, S., Unit 7, 2016).
I believe that it takes a true leader to establish a culture in the workplace in which people feel comfortable to talk about their fears and concerns and to create a team environment in which people work together to solve problems. In the case of Marina Soslow, her boss, Roy Bond, likely has some recurring fears as women on staff get pregnant. I would imagine he is wondering about the likeliness of her coming back to work after three months, if at all, especially with the cost of childcare. He is also probably thinking about the amount of time and effort the company has invested into training her. It is possible that he worries that the people she has delegated the work too will not do a good job and their company could suffer. Also, coming from a teacher, kids get sick often and this could require that she has more days off. There are a number of fears he could have around this situation. But even given his concerns, I do not believe that his response to her was appropriate.
Her boss would demonstrate stronger leadership qualities if he first conveyed the message that he truly cared for her. He could do this by congratulating her and showing that he is genuinely happy for her. This would immediately motivate Marina to make sure that her work is being done well, not because she has to but because she wants to. Northouse teaches us that employees need to feel cared for in order to achieve common goals. (Northouse, 2016).
Society also needs to transform their view of women in the workplace. Women are historically, and continue to be the primary caregiver in their family. Women should not be viewed as having to choose between raising a family and having a career, even though typically both events coincide in time. As an employer, there could be practices put into effect that attempt to embrace and help women be successful in their careers while still balancing family life. For example, employers can offer on-site child care, or allow workers to adjust their working schedule to better fit into their family life.
I believe that in order to help minimize the stereotypes that women face in the workplace, equality between male and females has to be experienced in the early years of education. Young learners need to be taught good morals, values and need to see the reasoning behind this teaching. As a teacher, I need to treat males and female students equally.
Northouse, 2016, states that “leadership emphasizes that authentic values and behaviors can be developed in leaders over time. Authentic leadership is not an attribute that only some people exhibit: Everyone can develop authenticity and learn to be more authentic.” (Northouse, 2016, P 207). I believe that as a teacher, I need to be a good leader and role model for all students so that I can assist in teaching right from wrong in hope of minimizing some of these prejudicial attitudes..
References:
Decastro, B. (2009). Women’s Policy Journal, Volume 6, President and Fellows of Harvard College.
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership – theory and practice – seventh edition. Los Angeles: Sage.
Watson, L. E. (1988). Light from many lamps. New York: Simon & Schuster