Benchmark of Women's Leadership

Women having roles in leadership is the topic of this article.  This piece was the official report of a study performed by the White House Project.  It discussed how the fields of Academia, Business, Entertainment, Journalism, Law, Military, Nonprofits, Politics, Religion and Sports would all benefit from putting more women in charge.  It later goes to recommendations on how to acquire more leadership positions and what are the important things to know about the appearance of each industry.   

Now, I do not think the topic is misguided but I do feel the perspective can be questioned.  To say we need more women to rise up the ranks is fair.  There is always time for a momentum shift in society where a perceived lower class can be beneficial to everyone if they were able to achieve equal opportunities.  The data as it is presented does not necessarily say how the adjustment would be favorable to have fewer men in those positions.  As a minority, I understand the call for change.  We can all say why we need to see more people like ourselves in the world.  It is not just for diversity but for the potential of the next generation to have hope.  However I also know that if I cannot out do the person currently in the job or stop the progress of them to maintain themselves as the standard then my efforts will be nullified.  I feel the study could have been helped by concentrating on specific women that would enhance the job if they were to have it versus emphasizing statistics for why so few women are leading men in each division of the professions.  To condense this topic to certain women that are the best examples would be a better argument for its cause.  Then if proven to be true then they could open the door for more who have real capabilities of producing improvements over what was previously done.  The report does not discuss why the numbers are the way they are necessarily but only that they should be different.   

If we were able to learn about the women currently in each field, it could add to the reason their proposed alternative should be implemented.  We can have examples where the top earning men are compared to the top earning women and see the disparity.  We can also use illustrations of the upper and lower levels of women and determined how that came about.  Let’s study if that segment of data is copacetic or if there are biases and preferential treatment being accepted to get to that point.   

I learned that women are underrepresented in many areas of leadership throughout the workforce.  Nominating women for roles and comparing current participants would provide more accurate information for someone who is not aware of the situation and using a novice’s viewpoint.  The report shows leading to correct the course is as important as calling for more representation for results. 

Gender

Gender can be defined as what you identify with.  It is natural and congenital to accept the gender you were assigned at birth.  In fact this was primarily my belief before beginning this assignment.  There are some people who dispute this however and are determined to blur the lines on what is being male or female.  This is more constructed from one’s personal preference rather than believing in the societal designation is what I have added from how others feel about gender.  According to a book written by Dr. Judith Lorber titled Paradoxes of Gender, there are additional assignments for males who want to be recognized as women and females who want to be recognized as men (1994).  There are numerous labels for those terms, some scientific and some offensive, but they do exist for those who fall outside or in-between the perceived lines.  I find it very easy to be categorized as male under my definition and the way I conduct myself.  The conventional thought on gender characteristics leads me to that critique of myself.  Though topics like raising children and sports have become more blended today than ever before, we still use gender to define what we see and who we are.  I do not think I do anything that will be seen as overly stereotypical of being masculine and I rarely think of myself as feminine though a recent exercise may disagree.  After completing my answers for the “bem inventory”, I find myself directly on the line of undifferentiated and feminine.  It does not discourage me or hurt my pride but the results of the study are what they are.  I will choose not to put as much credence into the test as I place on myself for the moment.

                To discuss gender in context with leadership opens a new conversation.  I first think of the setting of the debate.  We have been introduced to articles and interviews where women are challenging to have the same rights and opportunities as men when it comes to leadership.  Dr. Ronald Riggio presents a genderless offering to determine whether leaders are born or made (2009).  He compares the concepts of whether it is possible to have inborn characteristics with those that are taught from others who want you to be in a leadership position.  This argument removes gender from the conversation overtly but subtly implies that this topic can mean that those who do not have leadership roles are neither born with certain capabilities or are being trained to do such.  However Dr. Alice Eagly questions this from a women’s perspective in a book she co-wrote with Dr. Linda Carli named Through the Labyrinth: The Truth About How Women Become Leaders (2007).  She discussed that women are not being considered because of their stereotypes.  This retort can imply that men are making mistakes in their judgment as leaders on what is best for everyone involved.  I do not wish to be egocentric but I disagree with both viewpoints to some degree.  Referring back to the setting of the debate, where are we questioning the leaders?  Are we being the spectators of prosperous ventures and saying that they could do more for others or are we simply saying it could have been done a different way?  As it stands for the assimilation of genders to occur, one must move from its position for the other to gain if we were to believe it is not balanced.  To bring in gender means there is a request for men to acquiesce and allow modifications for women.  If this were to happen, do women also make some concessions or create some leeway for the betterment of men overall and is it required?  So I think that is the crux of the argument that goes on in our world today and way beyond my expertise.  Therefore it is also something that I do not have an answer to.  That is one talk that I choose to avoid and not have because I am in a situation where I see women directly in front of me with control over what I can and cannot do going forward now.  My perspective is that women have achieved some ground in the realm of leadership and to further that point may mean that my generation of males gets buried as a result of it.  See I find myself in the position of a minority male who cannot catch the majority or hinder the progress of women.  I have no say either way as I am not in competition for leading men and have seen women pass me by already.  I just hope that there are equal opportunities for all people absent of race, religion, sex or political affiliation but that may be a dream that faded away some time ago.