The Challenges Of Women 's Leadership Positions

When we think about how it used to be 100 years ago, the only people in leadership roles where men, and there was no presence of women. Why is it that we tend to see more men in leadership positions? Usually when we think of what a leader looks like, we tend to describe them as powerful, assertive and confidence. Because of stereotypes our society immediately labels this person as a man, due to the roles that we are expected to follow. Today, there has been a huge shift for women in leadership positions; however, there are many challenges that they still have to overcome. A process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal (Northouse, 2007) defines a leader. Moreover, leaders come in different forms whether in a professional, educational, or group setting. As a male college student and an advocate for equal rights between men and women, my understanding of the struggles that women face has a huge impact on my philosophy of leadership. The three most important concepts in this course that has resonated with me the most are double bind, and think manager-think male and glass ceiling.

To begin with, double bind is the concept where you are damned if you do not and damned if you do. In other words, this concept states that women in leadership face a double standard when in positions of power. Eagly and Carli (2007), describes this as a dilemma, where women are prescribed a role that is more communal, and most leadership roles are especially agentic. By communal they mean that the woman is expected to be nurturing, warm, avoids being too assertive and dominant, compared to agentic leaders where they are expected to be the opposite, such as direct, assertive, influential to others, competent and c...

... middle of paper ...

...s of barriers, but there continues to be subtle ways in which women still face some prejudice and discrimination.

Furthermore, I encourage everyone including men to have an open mind, where everyone is seen equal to each other. Women should not have to be treated differently or get paid less than the man. I believe that all men should see how valuable and important women are, especially in the work force. As I have noticed, there are many men that do not care, and that is evident for student that signed up for this course. Women should not force themselves to perform beyond what they are already capable of, dress a certain way or even talk assertive; they should be respected just as every other person next to her, even men. To sum it all up, a leaders is someone who inspires, motivates, and encourages a group, community or country regardless of their gender or sex.