This document discusses women and leadership. It summarizes that early research questioned women's ability to lead but views changed as more women rose to leadership positions. Current research examines differences in leadership styles and the underrepresentation of women in elite roles. Meta-analyses found women were less effective than men in military roles but more effective in education, government, and social services. While women make up over half of management and professionals, they remain underrepresented at the highest levels due to barriers such as the glass ceiling.

1. Leadership
Women and Leadership
VISHNU SHARMA
Women
Power

2. Women and Leadership Approach
Description
 Gender and Leadership
Popular press reported differences between
women and men -
Women inferior to men (1977)
Women lacked skills & traits necessary for
managerial success
Superiority of women in leadership positions
(1990)
Researchers ignored issues related to gender &
leadership until the 1970s
Women
power

3. Application
• Increase presence of women in prominent
leadership roles by
• Changes in organizational culture
• women’s career development
• mentoring opportunities for women
• increased numbers of women in strategic
positions
Women
power

4. Women and Leadership Approach
Description
 Gender and Leadership
Scholars started asking “Can women lead?”
Changed by women in leadership
Presence of women in corporate & political
leadership
Highly effective female leaders – eBay’s
CEO, Avon’s CEO, N.Y. Senator, Secretary of
State, etc.
Women
power

5. Women and Leadership Approach
Description
 Gender and Leadership
Current research primary questions
“What are the leadership style and effectiveness
differences between women and men?”
“Why are women starkly underrepresented in
elite leadership roles?”
Women
power

6. Gender and Leadership Effectiveness
 Meta-analysis comparing effectiveness of female &
male leaders (Eagly, et al, 1995)
Women were
less effective than men in military positions
more effective than men in education,
government, and social service organizations
Women
power

7. The Glass Ceiling
 Women
currently occupy more than half of all management
and professional positions - 50.3% (Catalyst, 2005)
make up nearly half of the U.S. labor force - 46.4%
(U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2005)
Still underrepresented in upper echelons of America’s
corporations & political system
Women
power

8. The Glass
Ceiling
Women
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9. The Glass Ceiling
 Important Motivations
fulfill promise of equal opportunity
find the most talented & richly diverse group of
women
gender diversity associated with greater group
productivity, leads to increases in organizations
financial performance
as the number of women at the top increases,
so does financial success (Catalyst, 2004)
Women
power

10. The Glass Ceiling
 Women
show the same level of identification with &
commitment to paid employment roles as men
are less likely to promote themselves for
leadership positions than men
were less likely than men to emerge as group
leaders, more likely to serve as social facilitators
Women
power

11. The Glass Ceiling
 Women and Effective Leadership
Newer conceptualizations such as
transformational leadership
no longer highlight traditional masculine traits
but rather highlight the importance of feminine
Women
power