1. National University of Ireland, Dublin
Master of Science (Singapore) MSc21
Module: Research Paper 1
Report Title: Recognizing the Feministic Approach to Leadership
in the 21st Century
Submitted by: Pei Shan, Leow
Student Number: 08297835
Lecturer: Dr Emily Chua
Submission Date: 19 April 2010
___________________________________________________________________________
I declare that all materials included in this report is the end result of my own work and that due
acknowledgement have been given in the bibliography and references to ALL sources be they printed, electronic
or personal.
Leow Pei Shan 19th April 2010 – MSc 21 – MKTGMM/RP1

2. Content
1. Executive Summary Page 1
2. The Masculine Organization Page 3
2.1 The Inherent Exclusion of the Feministic Experience Page 3
3. The Female Employee Page 5
3.1 Conformity for Acceptance Page 5
3.2 Where has the Females Gone? Page 7
4. The Cultural Context Page 8
4.1 Women in Management in Asia and Europe Page 8
4.2 The Legacy of Communism Page 9
5. The Way Forward Page 11
5.1 Academic Research to Realties Page 11
5.2 Realities Page 12
6. Conclusion Page 13
7. References Page 14
8. Bibliography Page 14
Leow Pei Shan 19th April 2010 – MSc 21 – MKTGMM/RP1

3. 1. Executive Summary
The current leadership theories are based upon and developed from the experiences of the
male perspectives. According to Shakeshaft (1984), there is a prevalence of gender-biased
language in numerous leadership theories discourse and a lack of inclusion of the female
perspectives. Continual exposure to the traditional concepts of leadership will continue to
legitimize traditional male behavior and perspectives and de-legitimize the female’s behavior
(Young and McLeod, 2001).
In this era of increasing complexity in organizational structures, a world characterized by an
integration of electronic infrastructure, a multicultural global village and the changing needs
of the social demographics, it is imperative that the perspectives and behavior of the females
should be given a more thorough dissection so as to allow greater clarity and understanding of
how half-of the world’s population think and what their sense of leadership could be.
It is with this interest in mind and in view of the time frame for this research paper, that the
focus was placed on looking for a book that could hopefully provide a somewhat balanced
perspective between personal experiences and academic research. There was a multitude of
semi-autobiographical types of fiction and self-help guide books that demonstrated an
underlying tone on the concept of female leadership. Some of the books include How to Lead
by Mary Kay, a cosmetic entrepreneur, The Martha Rules by Martha Stewart and a slew of
titles by female politicians such as Benazir Bhutto, Hillary Clinton and Margaret Thatcher.
Eventually, the book Women Leading, 2005, by Sue Hayward was chosen for further readings
and critique. Through a non-academic but direct and as-a-matter-of-fact tone, the book seeks
to highlight some of the salient changes that are taking place in the current work place. The
author definitely does not seek to regurgitate or re-define what leadership is about. Through
the use of relevant examples, ranging from the normal working class female to corporate
female leaders, politicians and even the male perspectives, Hayward attempted to give readers
a balanced and neutral view of the changes that are taking place as cultural barriers and
concepts of glass ceilings are increasingly being challenged in many work places around the
world. Although it was a collection of musings and discussions focusing on her personal
experiences over the span of about 20 years as a journalist, the issues and situations raised in
Leow Pei Shan 19th April 2010 – MSc 21 – MKTGMM/RP1

4. most of the book highlighted a number of the salient challenges that are unique to the female
in the current workplace environment.
From the academic arena, the article, Women in international management: an international
perspective on women’s ways of leadership, 2003, by Mary van der Boon was selected for the
purpose of this research paper. Boon seeks primarily to address the inconsistencies in
international management policy that excludes women from key positions that are vital for
women to gain the necessary experiences to break through the glass ceiling (or glass border
phenomenon). The paper begins by looking at women’s style of leadership, some of the
inherent glass ceilings at the corporate level, how this becomes exemplified on the
international stage through the notion of glass borders and to look into some of the key
differences between women in management in northern Europe and South East Asia. The
paper concludes by providing some recommended strategies that could be adopted by the
female as an individual and also by companies as a whole in the move towards lesser sexism
and more focus on skills that is necessary to handle the changing workplace environment.
As such, it is in the interest of this paper to explore the relationships between some of the
insights and perspectives raised in Women Leading with respect to the academic journal via
four segments.
a- The Masculine Organization
b- The Female Employee,
c- The Cultural Context, and
d- The Way Forward
Leow Pei Shan 19th April 2010 – MSc 21 – MKTGMM/RP1