She’s homely, beautiful and then, hardworking!

2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 396-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ganiyat Tijani-Adenle
Keyword(s):  
Gender Roles ◽  
Women Leaders ◽  
African Country ◽  
Women In Leadership ◽  
Feminist Research ◽  
Leadership And Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Representation Of Women ◽  
The Status ◽  
Sub Saharan

Purpose There are assumptions in gender-related media research that increased female status would be accompanied by more and better representation of women. There are also expectations that an increase in the number of women working in the news media will increase the positive representation of women. The aim of this paper is to critique the representation of women leaders and managers in the Nigerian press to assess the extent to which these factors have influenced the representation of women in the West African country. Design/methodology/approach Using two methods, qualitative content analysis and interview, this chapter critiques the representation of women leaders and managers in Nigerian Guardian Life and Vanguard Allure (over a period of six months – the last half of 2014) to determine the way women in leadership and management are constructed by checking for frames on stereotypes, gender roles and trivialisation themes. The editors of the two publications are then interviewed to consider the philosophies behind the coverage patterns and assess their knowledge and awareness of the implications of the coverage patterns on the status of women in the sub-Saharan African country. Findings It was discovered that the Nigerian press are focusing on re-enforcing traditional gender roles and norms rather than challenging them, and women in leadership and management in the country do not apply sufficient agency in challenging the status quo. Research limitations/implications Even though information derived from this study cannot be said to represent the realities in all of Africa, it surely provides a good context within which issues about media representation of women in leadership and management in Africa can be better understood to assess how the cultures on the continent’s various countries affect the realities of the lives of women. Originality/value The bulk of feminist research is situated in the North. Not much feminist research is being done in the South, and there appears to be an inadequate engagement with the available few in the literature. This chapter bridges the gap by presenting much needed information about gender, media and organisation in Nigeria; a highly populous multi-ethnic and multi-cultural sub-Saharan African country. Even though information derived from this study cannot be said to represent the realities in all of Africa, it will surely provide a good context within which issues about media, gender and organisation in Africa can be better appreciated.

Home truths for women leaders

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 10-12 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Gender Roles ◽  
Women Leaders ◽  
African Country ◽  
Women In Leadership ◽  
Feminist Research ◽  
Leadership And Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Representation Of Women ◽  
The Status ◽  
Sub Saharan

Purpose There are assumptions in gender-related media research that increased female status would be accompanied by more and better representation of women. There are also expectations that an increase in the number of women working in the news media will increase the positive representation of women. The purpose of this paper is to critique the representation of women leaders and managers in the Nigerian press to assess the extent to which these factors have influenced the representation of women in the West African country. Design/methodology/approach Using two methods, qualitative content analysis and interview, this chapter critiques the representation of women leaders and managers in Nigerian Guardian Life and Vanguard Allure (over a period of six months – the last half of 2014) to determine the way women in leadership and management are constructed by checking for frames on stereotypes, gender roles and trivialization themes. The editors of the two publications are then interviewed to consider the philosophies behind the coverage patterns and assess their knowledge and awareness of the implications of the coverage patterns on the status of women in the sub-Saharan African country. Findings It was discovered that the Nigerian press are focusing on re-enforcing traditional gender roles and norms rather than challenging them, and women in leadership and management in the country do not apply sufficient agency in challenging the status quo. Originality/value The bulk of feminist research is situated in the North. Not much feminist research is being done in the South, and there appears to be an inadequate engagement with the available few in the literature. This chapter bridges the gap by presenting much-needed information about gender, media and organization in Nigeria, a highly populous multi-ethnic and multi-cultural sub-Saharan African country. Even though information derived from this study cannot be said to represent the realities in all of Africa, it will surely provide a good context within which issues about media, gender and organization in Africa can be better appreciated.

scholarly journals Gender, authentic leadership and identity: analysis of women leaders’ autobiographies

2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 339-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isla Kapasi ◽  
Katherine J.C. Sang ◽  
Rafal Sitko
Keyword(s):  
Women Leaders ◽  
Authentic Leadership ◽  
Women In Leadership ◽  
The Body ◽  
Media Representations ◽  
Gender And Leadership ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mainstream Media ◽  
Representation Of Women ◽  
Gendered Leadership

Purpose Leadership theories have moved from viewing leadership as an innate trait, towards models that recognise leadership as a social construction. Alongside this theorisation, gender and leadership remain of considerable interest, particularly given the under-representation of women in leadership positions. Methodological approaches to understanding leadership have begun to embrace innovative methods, such as historical analyses. This paper aims to understand how high profile women leaders construct a gendered leadership identity, with particular reference to authentic leadership. Design/methodology/approach Thematic analysis of autobiographies, a form of identity work, of four women leaders from business and politics: Sheryl Sandberg, Karren Brady, Hillary Clinton and Julia Gillard. Findings Analyses reveal that these women construct gender and leadership along familiar normative lines; for example, the emphasis on personal and familial values. However, their stories differ in that the normative extends to include close examination of the body and a sense of responsibility to other women. Overall, media representations of these “authentic” leaders conform to social constructions of gender. Thus, in the case of authentic leadership, a theory presented as gender neutral, the authenticity of leadership has to some extent been crafted by the media rather than the leader. Originality/value The study reveals that despite attempts to “craft” and control the image of the authentic self for consumption by followers, gendered media representations of individuals and leadership remain. Thus, alternative approaches to crafting an authentic leadership self which extend beyond (mainstream) media is suggested.

View from the top – in women’s own words

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 25-27
Keyword(s):  
Women Leaders ◽  
Authentic Leadership ◽  
Women In Leadership ◽  
The Body ◽  
Media Representations ◽  
Leadership Identity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Representation Of Women ◽  
Gendered Leadership ◽  
The Media

Purpose This review is based on “Gender, authentic leadership and identity: analysis of women leaders’ autobiographies” by Kapasi et al. (2016). Given the under-representation of women in leadership positions, attempts to uncover reasons why remain of interest. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. This paper uses the autobiographies of four high-profile women leaders to understand how they construct a gendered leadership identity, with particular reference to authentic leadership. Findings The paper reviewed found that analyses reveal that these women construct gender and leadership along familiar normative lines; for example, the emphasis on personal and familial values. However, their stories differ in that the normative extends to include close examination of the body and a sense of responsibility to other women. Overall, media representations of these “authentic” leaders conform to social constructions of gender. Thus, in the case of authentic leadership, a theory presented as gender neutral, the authenticity of leadership has to some extent been crafted by the media rather than the leader. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

Missing women in the boardrooms: across the board

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 4-6
Author(s):  
Shashi Kartikeyan ◽  
Shabnam Priyadarshini
Keyword(s):  
Relevant Information ◽  
Women In Leadership ◽  
Western World ◽  
Legal Compliance ◽  
Leadership Positions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Representation Of Women ◽  
The World ◽  
The Status ◽  
Legislative Changes

Purpose This paper aims to highlight the under-representation of women in leadership positions across the world. Design/methodology/approach The authors add their unbiased views in presenting the most relevant information found in literature. Findings The paper examines the representation of women in the leadership positions such as board members and/or CEOs/top executives in the corporate world across the globe to understand the new developments that may be changing the status quo. This is a review of legislative changes on bringing parity in boardrooms and its impacts in certain countries where such changes are already implemented. The changes implemented through quotas, penalties, and incentives for including women in boardrooms in certain countries in Europe, Australia, Canada, India, and Kenya show that finally the absence of women in boardrooms has been noticed. The countries are moving towards legal compliance; however, there is still a dearth of women CEOs around the world. Practical implications The paper points toward the fact that the interventions that have happened are late and have failed capable women who could have reached their full professional potential in the western world. Also, taking a cue, the rest of the world can impose sufficient and timely legislative change to leapfrog to a gender equal society at every level, including at the top. Originality/value The paper compiles the most significant facts and figures and presents them in a very concise manner for any busy executive or researcher thus saving hours of reading time.

Zebras showing their stripes: a critical sense-making study of women CSR leaders

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Cherneski
Keyword(s):  
Women Leaders ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Sense Making ◽  
Social Constructions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Local Site ◽  
The Status ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Discursive Power

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to reveal the gendered nature of social arrangements in order to bring to the surface the hidden discourses that mediate the opportunities of women leaders in the field of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability.Design/methodology/approachThe author uses critical sense-making (CSM) to analyze interviews with CSR leaders toward understanding the interconnected layers of influences they draw from as they make sense of their experiences.FindingsDespite the positioning of women as being untapped resources within CSR, the reality within CSR leadership indicates that resilient, stereotypical social constructions of gender are being (re)created. However, cues can disrupt the ongoing process of sense-making and create shocks that represent opportunities for resistance as discriminatory practices are revealed.Research limitations/implicationsApplying CSM as a methodology and to the field of CSR adds a component to CSR and gender scholarship that is currently missing. CSM as a methodology bridges broader sociocultural discourses and the local site of sense-making, making visible the structures and processes that enable some narratives to become legitimized by the formative context and protect the status quo.Social implicationsIf these leaders are able to use their discursive power to establish an alternate, dominant narrative throughout their organizations – a culture of emotional empathy within CSR – alternate meanings about the nature and purpose of CSR may emerge while highlighting the need for change.Originality/valueApplying CSM as a methodology and to the field of CSR adds a component to CSR and gender scholarship that is currently missing. CSM as a methodology bridges broader sociocultural discourses and the local site of sense-making, making visible the structures and processes that enable some narratives to become legitimized by the formative context and protect the status quo.

African American women leadership across contexts

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 353-376
Author(s):  
Shannon Sales ◽  
Monica Galloway Burke ◽  
Colin Cannonier
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Women Leaders ◽  
Q Methodology ◽  
Women In Leadership ◽  
Leadership Roles ◽  
Content Type ◽  
American Women ◽  
History Of ◽  
Perceptions Of Leadership

Purpose This paper aims to examine women leaders from diverse career backgrounds and ethnicities to discover their perspectives of their leadership roles and empowerment to determine similarities and differences among them, focusing on the perspectives of African American women. Design/methodology/approach The review process began with a comprehensive review of African American women in history in the context of leadership and empowerment. Next, a Q-sort methodology was used as a semi-qualitative approach for women leaders to rank words of empowerment and facilitate discussions among these women. The Q methodology is known for exploring issues that are correlated with individuals who are influenced with personal feelings and opinions. Findings The paper concludes that perceptions of leadership roles differ among the African American women leaders when compared to other ethnicities. The results support the idea that women from diverse ethnic backgrounds have different experiences in the workplace, and these experiences influence how they identify factors they perceive as beneficial to them in terms of their perspectives on leadership and empowerment. Several themes emerged for African American women leaders including being overlooked, marginalized, undervalued and unappreciated in their professions as leaders due to their dual minority status. As it is now as it was in the past, such barriers can deter or stop progression for African American women leaders. Originality/value The history of African American women in leadership roles is scantily recognized or not recognized at all. This paper highlights leadership roles and barriers for African American women currently in leadership roles in contrast to other women. The issues they face are still similar to those faced by African American women in earlier decades in spite of increased career mobility. A relatively understudied topic in leadership and management history in general, this paper provides a unique lens from which to build awareness about the leadership roles and empowerment of African American women and to effect needed change.

Women leaders' views on demand-side strategies

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alyson Byrne ◽  
Ingrid C. Chadwick ◽  
Amanda J. Hancock
Keyword(s):  
Women Leaders ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Women In Leadership ◽  
Career Stage ◽  
Leadership Roles ◽  
Management Support ◽  
Demand Side ◽  
Engaged Scholarship ◽  
Female Leaders ◽  
Content Type

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine female leaders' attitudes toward demand-side strategies to close the gender-leadership gap and discuss implications for organizations.Design/methodology/approachThis article describes the process of knowledge co-creation that took place using an engaged scholarship epistemology over 23 interviews with North American women in senior leadership roles.FindingsFive key themes related to women leaders' attitudes toward demand-side strategies are discussed. Some felt uncertain or opposed toward these strategies, whereas others supported them. Support for these strategies was dependent on perceptions of backlash regarding the implementation of these strategies and the participants' career stage. Finally, participants acknowledged that demand-side strategies are insufficient in isolation and require additional organizational supports.Research limitations/implicationsThese findings enhance our understanding and provide theoretical refinement of the mechanisms that drive female leaders' reactions to demand-side strategies to close the gender-leadership gap.Practical implicationsParticipants advocated for certain practices to be considered when organizations contemplate the adoption of demand-side strategies. Importantly, participants advocated that the implementation of demand-side strategies would be insufficient unless organizations encourage greater dialogue regarding the gender-leadership gap, that top management support more gender inclusive leadership, and that male colleagues act as allies for women in leadership.Originality/valueThis article extends past research and theory by integrating the pragmatic perspectives of successful female leaders with previous empirical evidence to illustrate different reactions to demand-side strategies and ways for organizations to manage those in their efforts to close the gender-leadership gap.

Success and agency: localizing women’s leadership in Oman

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (7) ◽  
pp. 606-618 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maia Hallward ◽  
Hania Bekdash-Muellers
Keyword(s):  
Women Leaders ◽  
Women's Leadership ◽  
Women In Leadership ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Women's Agency ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Women’S Agency ◽  
Hired Labor ◽  
High Level ◽  
Domestic Support

Purpose This study aims to examine women’s leadership in Oman, seeking to empirically determine whether and how local perceptions of “success” and lifestyle preferences are related to women’s agency and propensity for leadership. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on the literature, this paper qualitatively analyzes 32 semi-structured interviews of diverse Omani women leaders, identifying their conceptions of success as predominantly subjective or objective. At the same time, the study uses Hakim’s (2006) lifestyle preference model to explore women's agency. Findings Contrary to the literature on the central importance of domestic responsibilities for Arab Muslim women, more women in leadership positions are identified as career-centered (14/32, 44%); those who did identify as family-centered (6/32, 19%) did not cite Islam to justify that preference, and success is envisioned more subjectively (19/32, 59%). Research limitations/implications The sample has an urban bias and does not claim to be representative of all Omani women. Interviews were conducted in English; most women leaders in Oman are required to speak English. Practical implications By analyzing work-life balance preferences as a proxy for agency and interrogating Omani women's own conceptions of success, the study may lead to more robust and culturally aware policies to support women’s leadership. Social implications Defining in subjective terms suggests that success is not necessarily equated with achieving a high level position for Omani women. Further, only 6/32 were identified as home-centered, thus indicating the critical importance of domestic support from hired labor or family members. Originality/value This study contributes new empirical findings on women leaders in Oman that illustrates the role of personal agency and lifestyle preference in contrast to many studies that treat culture as a constant.

How women traverse an upward journey in Indian industry: multiple case studies

2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 181-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonam Chawla ◽  
Radha R. Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Women Leaders ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Women In Leadership ◽  
Leadership Positions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Indian Industry ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Multiple Case Studies ◽  
Context Specific

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present multiple case studies of women in leadership roles in India with a view to identifying inhibitors, facilitators and the strategies adopted by them to mitigate the challenges in their odyssey to these positions. The paper contributes to the pivotal subject of under-representation of women in apex positions, which has garnered the attention of researchers in recent years grappling with the identification of the underlying causes. Thus, with a view to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions, a greater understanding of this phenomenon is called for. Design/methodology/approach The paper adopts exploratory case study method using multiple case studies. Empirical data were gathered using in-depth semi-structured interviews and personality test (NEO FFI) from women in leadership positions. The qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings The analysis of data has led to the identification of challenges faced by the women that were categorised as personal, professional, organisational and social issues. Further, six themes emerged as the strategies adopted by the women leaders to overcome the challenges. The paper also highlights the critical social, behavioural and organisational facilitators that played an important role in their leadership journey. The paper also includes context-specific findings of women leaders from Indian industry. Practical implications The paper would have relevance for researchers and practitioners in the field of gender diversity, leadership, organisational behaviour and human resource management. The findings of this paper can be leveraged by organisations to retain and manage female talent, which is a focal area in the present dynamic business environment, when a need for gender diversity is widely acknowledged by the top management in organisations. The exploratory case studies provide vistas for gender-based context-specific and cross-cultural research on the challenges faced by women executives in their leadership journey and the strategies adopted to mitigate these. Originality/value Though a great deal has been written about the barriers to women’s career advancement, less is known about the facilitators of women’s advancement. Also, women in the Asian context face unique challenges which present a major problem for multinational companies whose hopes for growth are pinned on emerging markets. The paper has identified new emergent themes, which have not been mentioned in the extant literature nationally or globally. The findings provide inputs to companies to adopt policies and practices to facilitate gender equality in leadership. The paper bridges the knowledge gap and makes conceptual contributions for future research.

scholarly journals Report on the status of women occupying leadership roles in oncology

ESMO Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. e000423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Hofstädter-Thalmann ◽  
Urania Dafni ◽  
Tamara Allen ◽  
Dirk Arnold ◽  
Susana Banerjee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gender Gap ◽  
Women In Leadership ◽  
Leadership Roles ◽  
Management Level ◽  
R Language ◽  
Representation Of Women ◽  
Global Workforce ◽  
Minority Participation ◽  
The Status ◽  
Status Of Women

BackgroundWhile the global workforce is approaching gender parity, women occupy a small number of management level positions across most professions, including healthcare. Although the inclusion of women into the membership of many oncology societies has increased, the under-representation of women in leadership roles within international and national oncology societies remains relatively consistent. Moreover, the exact status of women participating as board members or presidents of oncology societies or as speakers at oncology congresses was undocumented to date.MethodsThe database used in this analysis was derived from data collection performed by the European Society for Medical Oncology for the years 2015–2016 and data analyses performed using the Statistical Analysis Software V.9.3 and R language for statistical computing V.3.4.0 by Frontier Science Foundation-Hellas. The literature search was performed by the authors.ResultsWe report the presence of a gender gap within oncology. Results regarding the under-representation of women occupying leadership roles in oncology show female participation as members of the board or presidents of national and international oncology societies and as invited speakers at oncology congresses remains below 50% in the majority of societies included in this analysis. Women in leadership positions of societies was associated with a higher percentage of female invited speakers at these societies’ congresses (p=0.006).ConclusionThe full contribution that can be attained from using the potential of women in leadership roles is currently under-realised. Examples of how gender and minority participation in organisations improves outcomes and creativity are provided from science, clinical practice and industry that show outcomes are greatly improved by collective participation of both men and women. Although there are programmes in place in many oncology organisations to improve this disparity, the gender gap is still there. Ongoing discussion may help to create more awareness in the effort to accelerate the advancement of women within oncology.

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