Introduction
When Drew Gilpin Faust was selected as the 28th president of Harvard University in February 2007, a flurry of news and opinion articles marked a new era in higher education administration. She was described as “friendly, collaborative, a consensus builder, and a good administrator,” noting a change not just in institutional direction for Harvard, but in leadership style, too (Bornstein 2007, p. 21).
In response to the publication of Sheryl Sandberg’s best-selling book, “Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead,” higher education researchers Kelly Ward and Pamela Eddy applied the book’s content to women in higher education. According to Ward and Eddy (2013), women “lean back from the ladder of academic progress, promotion, and leadership because of a perception that advanced positions in academe are not open to women, and particularly women who hope to make time for a family or life beyond work” (para. 5). Women sometimes choose to stay at mid-level positions because they do not perceive opportunities for internal growth at their universities, or they are not interested in the public-facing pressure experienced by top leaders at universities (Ward and Eddy 2013).
According to the American College President Study by the American Council on Education, the percentage of college presidents who were women was 10% in 1986, and more than doubled to 26% in 2012. Why is it that women earn the majority of postsecondary degrees, but only a small portion hold leadership roles in postsecondary institutions?
Statistics on Women Leaders in Higher Education
Since the 1970s, the percentage of women making up the United States labor force has increased dramatically, peaking in 1999 at 60%. According to the U.S. Bureau of Lab...
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...eotypes of Leaders: Do They Influence Leadership in Higher Education? Wagadu: A Journal Of Transnational Women's & Gender Studies, 9, 955-988.
Madsen, S. (2012). Women and Leadership in Higher Education: Learning and Advancement in Leadership Programs. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 14(1), 3-10.
The White House Project. (2009, November). The White House project report: Benchmarking women’s leadership. Retrieved from http://aauw-ne.aauw.net/files/2013/07/White_House_Project_Report_2009_-_Key_Findings.pdf
Ward, K., & Eddy, P. L. (2013, December 9). Women and Academic Leadership: Leaning Out. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved May 3, 2014, from http://chronicle.com/article/WomenAcademic-Leadership-/143503/
http://chronicle.com/article/WomenAcademic-Leadership-/143503/
http://chronicle.com/article/40-Years-of-Title-IX-/132311/
Rainey
“In the United States and several other countries, women now actually surpass men in educational achievements” (Josh, “Harvard Summer School”). Some women are more educated and qualified for most
In Sheryl Sandberg’s essay “Lean In: What You Do If You Weren’t Afraid?”, she talks about how women are afraid to strive for leadership that men pursue for. She mentions how women are afraid to be leaders even though they outperform men academically in their degrees. Women are discouraged to enroll in leadership in the workforce because “they are less valued in the workplace” and “overwhelmingly stocked with men”(Sandberg 646). More importantly, Sandberg points out that the reason women don’t seek for high positioned jobs is that they aren’t “ambitious” as much as men. Not being ambitious allows women to not show themselves that they don’t have a strong desire to obtain the highest leadership. Women aren’t as ambitious than men because they
In the American society, we constantly hear people make sure they say that a chief executive officer, a racecar driver, or an astronaut is female when they are so because that is not deemed as stereotypically standard. Sheryl Sandberg is the, dare I say it, female chief operating officer of Facebook while Mark Zuckerberg is the chief executive officer. Notice that the word “female” sounds much more natural in front of an executive position, but you would typically not add male in front of an executive position because it is just implied. The fact that most of America and the world makes this distinction shows that there are too few women leaders. In Sheryl Sandberg’s book “Lean In,” she explains why that is and what can be done to change that by discussing women, work, and the will to lead.
During WWII, women took over the work force, and had such inspirations as Rosie the Riveter. This created a generation of women who wanted more out of life than birthing children, and keeping a nice home for their husband. The end of the war, however, brought with it a decrease of working women. In the 1950’s the rate of working women had slightly rebounded to 29% following the post-war decrease in 1945. These women were well rounded, working outside the home, and still having dinner on the table by 5PM.
Valian, Virginia. "Beyond Gender Schemas: Improving the Advancement of Women in Academia." NWSA Journal 16.1, (Re) Gendering Science Fields (2004): 207-20. Print.
The "glass ceiling" has held women back from certain positions and opportunities in the workplace. Women are stereotyped as part-time, lower-grade workers with limited opportunities for training and advancement because of this "glass ceiling". How have women managed their careers when confronted by this glass ceiling? It has been difficult; American women have struggled for their role in society since 1848. Women’s roles have changed significantly throughout the past centuries because of their willingness and persistence. Women have contributed to the change pace of their role in the workplace by showing motivation and perseverance.
Wilson, Marie C. Closing the Leadership Gap Why Women Can and Must Help Run the World. New York: Viking Adult, 2004. Print
My research opened my eyes to the struggle of women in the job market. The differences range from how we speak, what we wear, to where our priorities exist in business. One of the first books I came across was Managing Like a Man by Judy Wajcman. The title alone highlights the severe psychological separation of men and women in the workplace. Everyone faces difficulty at some point or another in a working environment. Unfortunately for women, workplace issues can range from not getting along, not keeping the job, or simply not getting the job. ‘Bust through the glass ceiling’ is a term coined in regards to women and the seemingly impossible climb up the ladder of success. Multiple books and studies about women seeking leadership roles give the theory a legitimate hype. The female gender has to fight for their role in the workplace, even when they have more education, more experience, and a newly found focus on equality for women. Extended research is still being done because the issue has not been completely eradicated; even now in the 2000’s.
U.S. Department of Labor. (1980). Bureau of labor statistics: Current population survey. Perspectives on working women: A databook.
The reading assignment for this unit included reading several articles and one book in particular, The Female Advantage, by Sally Helgesen as an introduction into varying leadership styles. Leadership, as a honed craft is practiced continually in different ways and varying circumstances, no two individuals will have the same leadership style. Certain distinctive traits brought into the forum and on display for followers to observe. Some traits can be visible, clothing or skin color as examples, others, however, are not as visible such as upbringing or family situation. Each of these factors could play a role in the leadership style of a leader. One trait that the author of the book uses to distinguish leaders is gender. As much as men and women must be treated the fairly and equally, it cannot be denied that outside of the biological aspect, men and women are slightly different. Each gender brings a unique approach to leadership situations.
Sternberg, R. J. (2013). Perspectives: Leadership Styles for Academic Administrators: What Works When?. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 45(5), 24-27.
Today, women are entering the leadership sphere, which is mainly occupied by men. Many women leaders believe that people perform best when they feel good about themselves and their work. An effective leader creates results, reaches goals and deadlines, and quickly recognizes vision and objectives with high level of quality and productivity. To accomplish these, a leader should have special qualities like able to motivate others, specific and technical skill set, clear sense of purpose, mission, clear goals, focus and commitment. Over the years, women have proven themselves to be successful leaders as men. For instance, Oprah Winfrey, one of the most successful and famous African-American women in history to have made a huge impact and difference
Women have had quite a few hurdles to get over since the 1950's. In 1958 the proportion of women attending college in comparison with men was 35 percent. (Friedan,
Women leaders have the crucial soft skills of empathy, innovation, facilitation, and active listening (Masaoka, 2006). They also have first-hand life experiences that bring technical skills and experiences from the street level to the workplace (Masoka, 2006). Women often build stronger relationships with clients and outside contacts than their male counterparts. This relationship building skill, provides a key aspect which helps to move businesses forward (Giber et al., 2009). Fortune 500 companies with a high percentage of women significantly outperformed those with fewer women. Companies with the highest representation of women showed higher returns on equity than those with fewer women employees (Giber et al., 2009). Thus, future organizations may have a higher percentage of female leaders than we have experienced in the past. Future leaders must ensure that there is equality among the workforce and that women are accurately represented among the
Women are continuing to see management opportunities slip through their fingers because the company doesn’t feel like they’re capable of doing a worthy job. “For example, a fire chief may repeatedly pass over a female firefighter for promotion, due to resentment stemming from women applying to the force or due to a belief that men inherently perform better in these positions”. Stereotypical people are looking at women and judging on whether they’re capable of doing a task. It’s unfair to the women that actually are capable and those who want the chance to do something out of their comfort zone. How many men find it unbearable that a woman out-qualifies them in an even competition? Ever played a monopoly game and if the guy loses he says that he let the girl win? Men think that women can’t compete with them, but yet they just can’t accept the fact that women actually can. “Even the most ardent feminist must admit that women are indeed different from men, but this should not be seen as being inferior to men in the workplace (Lovedays)”. Yes, men are stronger and can do m ore things, but women can provide more than companies realize. Franchises are losing out on how having a woman as an employee, can truly help them in the future. “The studies really are stacking up and decision-makers within organizations are starting to notice the evidence that gender-balanced leadership