Female Leadership - Position Paper

Name: Charmagne Erika G. Padilla The Position Paper Topic: Feminism Hypothetical Proposition: If females are physically weaker than males, then they are not capable of leadership. Definition of Terms: Weaker - not strong or fit: not physically fit or mentally strong; lacking skills or abilities: not having particular skills or abilities. Leadership – is the influencing process of leaders and followers to achieve organizational objectives through change. Arguments: When people think about leadership, images of powerful dynamic individuals who command victorious armies, shape the events of nations, develop religions, or direct corporate empires come to mind. Researchers have long found that people think “male” when they think “leader,” and that this result transcends many cultural differences. But what is a leader? And what makes a great leader? A leader is somebody whom people follow; who guides and directs others. The traits that a great leader typically possesses include a sense of power, great negotiating skills and lots of charisma. However, a leader always has the ability to influence others. Leaders and followers influence each other because all people are potential leaders. Influencing is so important that it is called the essence of leadership. Historically, gender prohibited most females from becoming leaders in organizations; as a result, the assumption that males were better suited than females for leadership roles was, until recently, rarely questioned. Men have traditionally been more involved in combat and war than women—successful male warriors were held in high status in many societies. That female were selected as leaders were viewed as being more effective in maintaining positive relationships within the group may reflect females’ traditional roles as peacekeepers and wanting to preserve group order. Such engendered leadership is a long-term of human evolutionary history that still affects the way people evaluate and respond to leadership in society today. Generally, women tend to be identified with nature while men tend to be identified with culture. This is so because in bearing children women create new ‘things’ naturally, while men are free/forced to create culturally. Women are also in result, more confined to the household and raise children. Since human beings everywhere rank their own cultural products above the realm of the physical world, as every

culture is aimed at controlling and/or transcending nature, women end up with an inferior symbolic position. The challenge for women in taking on leadership roles is to reclaim and redefine the accepted stereotypes. A woman leader stimulates a different reaction than a male leader because of learned expectations, shaped and supported by the surrounding social structure, that invalidate and undercut women’s attempts to be effective, influential, and powerful. Because of perceived incompatibility between the requirements of femininity and those of leadership, women are often required to “soften” their leadership styles to gain the approval of their constituents. Since they are stereotyped as less competent than men, women would-be leaders are sometimes advised to avoid feminine modesty and promote their own abilities, strengths and accomplishments. Women face the most resistance to their leadership and influence in roles that are male-dominated and characterized as masculine As women lead, they are changing leadership; as they organize, they are changing organization. When women lead and articulate their purposes, it seems that they work together not only as individuals but with a sense of community and networking in a healthy way. Women have fresh and imaginative skills of dialogue and are setting a more open, flexible, and compassionate style of leadership. Studies have shown that women leaders are better communicators, have better social skills, are more tolerant, more willing to adapt to change, better organized, better at motivating others and less bound by social traditions; skills essential for effective leadership. If only something could be constructed to supply the right social environmental conditions in socializing the young and in ‘re-educating’ the old, all men and women could become equalbecause they could all become, in principle, the same. Truth or Falsity of Hypothetical Proposition: The hypothetical proposition is false. Women are capable of leadership. Though studies have proven that women indeed are the physically weaker sex, this is not the sole essential requirement for an effective leader. Only stereotypes and gender bias hinders women in leadership. Conclusion: I agree that women are capable of leadership. I believe that what only challenge females from becoming leaders are the generally accepted stereotypes prevailing in almost all nations that males were better suited in leadership roles. Males and females are the

same, though they have different styles in leadership, both are potential and capable leaders. References: Kelber, M. (1994). Women and Government; New Ways to Political Power. USA: Wonen USA Fund, Inc. Lussier, R. & Achua, C. (2004). Leadership: Theory, Application, Skill Development. (2nd Edition). USA: Thomsom Corporation. Paul, E.(2002). Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in Sex and Gender. (2nd Edition). Guilford Connecticut: McGraw-hill Companies, Inc. Renzetti, C. & Curran, D. (1992). Women, Men, and Society. Needham Heights, MA: Simon&Schuster, Inc. Yuval-Davis, N. (1997). Gender and Nation. London: SAGE Publications Ltd. Association for Psychological Science (2008, October 30). Gender Bias: When Groups Fight Other Groups, Male Leaders Sought; But For In-group Conflicts, Female Leaders Preferred. ScienceDaily. Retrieved January 16, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008 /10/081030110957.htm Fondas, N. updated by Mason, W. Gender and Leadership. Retrieved January 16, 2009, from http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/ency clopedia/For-Gol/Gender-andLeadership.html Lips, H. Women and Leadership: The Delicate Balancing Act. Retrieved January 16, 2009, from http://www.womensmedia.com/new/LipsHilary-Women-as-Leaders.shtml Morrow, O. The Female Face of Leadership. Retrieved January 16, 2009, from http://www.surewoman.com/general/leade rship.html