female leaders are still stereotyped

http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/oct2010/ca20101012_599532.htm

This was an interesting article I found on businessweek.com. This article describes the authors' views of why women are still being stereotyped in the workplace even with women's leadership programs in place. They believe that just having a women's program in existence is not enough. These programs need to be effective by communicating the right message and eliminating the stereotypes of women.

The first issue with the existing programs is the idea of exhibiting superwoman as the ultimate woman leader. As the example in the article states, the women who are characterized as top, successful leaders are those who emulate superwoman. This idea of a leader is unrealistic. Instead, women leaders need to be inspirational and motivational, according to the article. This idea is also mentioned in the Women and Leadership chapter in the textbook. The textbook states that women's styles tend to be more transformational than men's. Specifically, the inspirational motivation component of transformational leadership is linked to the statement in the article. This inspirational motivation component means that leaders communicate high expectations to followers and inspire them through motivation to become committed to and part of the shared vision in the organization.  

I also thought it was interesting that the second issue with women's leadership programs is about the focus on the woes of women in leadership. It specifically mentions the glass ceiling and the double binds of family and work, which are both discussed in our textbook. These authors of the article state that these programs are focusing too much on the struggles and barriers of women in leadership, which ultimately leads to women fearing being successful and climbing to the top. Our textbook specifically describes the struggles women face from the glass ceiling, or labyrinth, and from maintaining a family and work. The labyrinth is the set of struggles and challenges women face along the way, not just near the top. Additionally, the textbook states that "women with children are more likely not to be employed or to work fewer hours than women without children..." This statement describes the work-home conflict that many women face in the workforce. These types of work-home conflicts can add a burden onto women who may be trying to climb the leadership ladder. Both the mention of the glass ceiling/labyrinth and the work-home conflict are mentioned in the textbook; however, they are are both mentioned in the article as focuses of why women are stereotyped in leadership.

Isn't it ironic that the possible attempt of spreading knowledge and information about the struggles women face in leadership is actually contributing to the stereotypes they face?

posted by : Kelly Yuen