WOMEN AND LEADERSHIP

“WE STILL THINK OF A

POWERFUL MAN AS A BORN
LEADER AND A POWERFUL
WOMAN AS AN ANOMALY.”

-  MARGARET ATWOOD
Do Female and Male Leaders Differ in their
Behavior and Effectiveness?
Gender and Leadership
• Gender provides behavioural tendencies
in leadership
• Women adopt more democratic style,
share power and information, and attempt
to enhance followers’ self-worth
• Men more autocratic, command-in-
control style.
 Why Do So Few Women Leaders Reach The
Top?
There are two explanations to this question: -
Popularized and Data based Explanation. and Data
Based Explanations.
Popularized Explanation
•Pipeline Theory.
•Lack of General Management or Line
Experience.
•Unsuitability of Leadership.
 Data Based Explanations (Barriers)
ORGANISATIONAL BARRIERS
 Inhospitable Corporate Culture
 Homophily
Silent Majority
INTERPERSONAL BARRIERS
 Stereotyping
 Lack of Emotional and Interpersonal Support
 Exclusion from Informal Networks
PERSONAL BARRIERS
 Lack of Political Savvy
 Work-Home Conflict
Where Female Managers Do Better
-Is different better?

• When rated by peers, employees, and bosses,

women executives score better than male
counterparts.
• Explanations of difference in effectiveness include:
– flexibility, teamwork, trust, and information
sharing are replacing rigid structures,
competitive individualism, control, and secrecy.
– best managers listen, motivate, and provide
support.
– women do the above better than men.
• There is still no “one best” leadership style
– can’t assume that women’s style is always
better.
Over the past 10 years growth rate of Women
Leadership was significant :

•Grew twice the rate of men in business.

•Own about 44% of 20.4mn small business enterprises in

U.S.A.

•Growing trend is reflected by the reports of Fortune

Magazine

•In Year 1996:- total 7 women were listed in Fortune 500.

•In Year 1998:- Increased to a total 50 women.

•In Year 2007:- Further increased to 100 women leaders.

STRENGTHS
• Improvement in work places
• Full Use of Human Resources
•To start Innovative Project
•Opportunity to be effective
CRITICISMS
•Women may be seen helpness victim, thieves of
men’s rightful roles.
•Serious issue with research on sex &gender
differences.