Women started entering organisations 5 decades back and have gradually gone up the corporate ladder / hierarchy. Her sustained presence in the organisation has made her acquire leadership status.Women have been generally employed during consolidation phases and not in growth stages. The trend is fast changing.
Woman and Leadership
Women encounter various issues being in leadership positions.
1)At home generally women are not used to handling power and handling power is a challenge.This also involves the job of delegating jobs to subordinates.
2)Exercising authority is something that women have not done in history. Its completely new to her.The jokes that we read about a woman being supreme at home and her husband being a slave is a good for a laugh but if you just go deep into it its been the men who exercise authority.
3)Women in the past have been meeting no one except her relatives.Meeting customers, suppliers and handling government agencies is a challenge in itself.
4)Women now take part in policy formulation and strategy planning which is considered to be a part of top level management.She has truly risen high.
5)She has got to face lot of opinion differences with superiors , colleagues and subordinates . How she puts forward her point and convinces others is where the skills for leadership arise.
Women generally refuses leadership because of 3 reasons.
a)Blame it on the ethic less business culture prevalent in the society.Women have always been portrayed as ethical and good and may be that's why she refuses to a position where ethics are not prevalent.
b)The main reason is the fear of efficiently managing workplace and familial roles .The balancing act.
c)Also, career paths in organisations are not designed in a way so that women can climb up the ladder.Her aspirations are surrendered the moment she gets going in the organisations. I feel the trend is changing.
Life Space
Life space is the space available for women to be on their own. Generally 80 % of space is for motherhood , 10 % of the space is for the in-laws.5 % of space is for the other related roles and the remaining 5 % of the space is for the role of a wife.The 'self space' of a woman consists of all that is within her-the emotions ,feelings , wishes ,dreams and aspirations.The Identity of a woman is reflected by the multiple roles as they evolve over a period of time,the choices and actions initiated and withheld and the paths chosen consciously or unconsciously.
Although Women are capable , competent and committed , they are grappled with issues of Independence and autonomy.The social coding of being a mother ,daughter,daughter-in-law,wife has in a way made them to surrender their dreams and aspirations to be a good daughter , wives & mothers.
This creates immense stress in the husband-wife relationship.Motherhood creates guilt due to children's expectations of a mother who is always available at home.The in-laws are not generally not supportive but demanding and critical.Moreover,they add to the woman's guilt by criticizing and judging her involvement in work negativity.Other social demands from the woman's own family and the network of social relationships make further demands on her space and time. The more she is engaged in work , the more discontent is voiced by the societal system.
Women with Substance
Women grapple with the feeling whether home and work represent their own space,and whether they have ownership of these spaces.The perception is that home space belongs to the father or husband and the workspace belongs to male colleagues.Women are largely operative in other people's spaces and many have no personal sense of freedom and belonging.
I believe a Woman with Substance is one who is able to balance her space. If she fails
the biggest task would be playing the roles of daughter,daughter-in-law,wife at home and corporate leader at workplace since there is complex interplay of emotions and it becomes very difficult to prioritize.
A Mother is Leader
A woman is a mother also. Child rearing is an art itself.It is not easy , its a challenge.When a woman raises a child , she understands and learns about herself.The commitment to leadership and as a parent she strings to make the world a better place for the young one and this is nothing else but leadership.
Women and men both are leaders , but women have some things that men do not possess.
Lets be fair in our assessment.How significantly this is relevant with leadership I do not know but it is relevant.
a)Empathy:- E.g. A woman understands her child better than a father.
b)Flexible and Negotiable:- E.g.It is common knowledge here that getting a sign on the report card is easier with the mother.
c)They are perceived to have the country club style of leadership
Her Future
For women in the corporate world, the past may contain many memories.Some good,some bad;some creative ,some destructive;some glowing with radiance ,others with hate;some with guilt and shame , others with pride and achievement . These memories have added up to give vast panorama of experiences.
The future beckons.. some words are to be replaced.
Instead of dreams - commitment
Instead of aspirations - choices
Instead of fear - courage
Women have entered organizations in a big way. They have crossed new thresholds and are carving a niche for themselves in various fields and are blazing a new path for the future generations.
The future will perhaps witness leaders who will not be Identified by their gender but by their capability , their vision and their competence.
