HOME EXAM

LEADERSHIP AND GENDER

FOR: MICHELLE RYDBACK,

BY: MOHAMMAD MASHUKUL ISLAM

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 ANSWER TO THE QUESTION 1

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 Table of Content

INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 3

BACKGROUND ................................................................................................................................. 3

STRENGTHS ................................................................................................................................ 3

WEAKNESSES .............................................................................................................................. 4

OPPORTUNITIES ......................................................................................................................... 5

THREATS ...................................................................................................................................... 6

REFLECTIONS ................................................................................................................................... 7

REFERENCES .................................................................................................................................... 8

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INTRODUCTION

Women have made significant strides in business for millennia but women's equality has yet to be
reached in corporates. However, recent advancements have enabled women to outperform their male
colleagues. Deb Boelkes (2022) stated tomorrow's leaders would struggle with competing goals,
deadlines, and problems & women are born with the capacity to adapt to changing workplaces.
Employees worldwide are dealing with COVID-related stresses & concerns. Feminine traits and
capabilities could be ideal for this new corporate environment.

BACKGROUND
We created a SWOT analysis of women leadership from Indra Nooyi's interview, pertinent
literature, and real-life examples in the warm-up seminar. Throughout the session, many fascinating
issues were made, but also there were few debate and opposing opinions. With reasoning I will
remove two components from each section today.

STRENGTHS
i. Work life balance
Work-life balance helps reduce stress, prevent weariness, and create a stable and sustainable work
environment. But is it something a woman leader does better? As Indra said, she/leaders struggle to
keep the balance between family and work. Work–life balance, according to Thomas and Paula
(2015), involves numerous roles, equity, satisfaction, conflict, and fulfillment. Study finds no proper
link between work-life balance and gender. In my argument the article and interview do not indicate
women's superiority in maintaining work-life balance.

ii. Stronger than opposite gender

In terms of physical strength, this claim may not be accurate. The fastest ball in cricket is 92 km/h
for men and 70 km/h for women, according to the International Cricket Council
(https://www.espncricinfo.com/). Research by Miller et al. (1993) found a link between strength and
muscle cross-section. The study argued women had smaller biceps and total elbow flexors, whereas
males had larger and stronger ones. Thus, physical strength of males is more as per medical research
and real-life instances. Hence, it doesn’t qualify as a strength in my arguments.

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WEAKNESSES
i. Family commitment
Commitment to family is a strong source of strength for women. Deb Boelkes (2021) argued women are
adept at understanding non-verbal signs and can distinguish between interest and boredom in virtual
environments, which has a favorable effect on family. Thus, in a family-oriented culture, family may be a
source of inspiration not cause of weakness. Hence, I do not regard this as a shortcoming of women leaders.

ii. Pregnancy related issues

Discomfort, fever, fatigue, and back pain are some of the challenges of pregnancy. But calling this
a women's weakness threatens the survival of human civilization. Pregnancy or pregnancy-related
diseases are prohibited grounds for discrimination, according to Joanna (2015). State laws also
safeguard the right to pregnancy. According to Indra, most nations currently provide paid maternity
leave. Hence, Pregnancy is not a weakness for female leaders anymore.

OPPORTUNITIES
i. Technological Advancement
Technology is undeniably altering the corporate environment and creating new opportunities. This
posed a danger to some sectors and businesses. For example, once KODAK had a monopoly on film
manufacturing, now that business is halt due to new technological developments. March & Weil
(2005) claim that technological causes change, uncertainty, and undermines long-term business.
Any disruptive innovation might be a threat. Furthermore, advancements in technology will affect
all levels of leadership including women. With these reasoning, I see technological progress as a
threat, not an opportunity.

ii. Politics
I oppose politics as an opportunity for female leadership. According to Catalyst (2020) research,
women leaders are better talent manager, group performer, and supreme financial driver. Women
leadership is not tied to political power, connection, or support. Martin and Lerong (2017) claim
that a diverse board increases environmental, social, and governance performance. So women
leadership growing by performance, not by politics.

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THREATS
i. Education
The expansion of education, incremental research, and national-international diversity-focused
initiatives all contribute to the strengthening of women leadership. I do not see "Education" as a
threat to female leadership. Wagstaff, John, and Chano (2020) emphasized the importance of
diversity in business education and its contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Development
Goal. The study demonstrates a favorable association between education and diversity. Hence
education should not be considered as barrier to women leadership.

ii. Maternity/Parental Leave

Paid maternity leave is now common in most countries, paternity leave being practiced countries
like Sweden. Lidia Farre (2016) discussed the economic implications of parental leave and the
significance of reserving time for dads to decrease gender disparities in the home and the workplace.
It also highlights nations' experiences with these policies. Overall, the policy has been well received
in all nations. In a word, paid maternity and paternal leave is not a threat to women's leadership.

REFLECTIONS
Studying an interview of a top business executive, reading relevant articles, and eventually arguing
in front of the class were all part of the warm-up session. Its key takeaways are educational,
analytical, and boundary-pushing. Today, looking back at our previous efforts, I could analyze it
from a new perspective. Because of the rewind button in this home exam, I had a lot of fun arguing
and strengthening prior work. Using something interactive and genuine rather than something
literary and stereotypical opened my eyes and broadened the learning horizons.

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REFERENCES

1. A E Miller 1, J D MacDougall, M A Tarnopolsky, D G Sale (1993), Gender differences in

strength and muscle fiber characteristics, National Library of Medicine.

2. Catalyst (2022), Women in management Quick take. https://www.catalyst.org/research/

3. DEB BOELKES (2021), Women on Top: What's Keeping You from Executive Leadership?,
Business World Rising.

4. Joanna Goddard (2015), Working While Pregnant: How to Handle It Like a Boss, Online
magazine PARENTS, https://www.parents.com/pregnancy/my-life/maternity-paternity-
leave/working-while-pregnant-how-to-handle-it/

5. Lidia Farre (2016), Parental Leave Policies and Gender Equality: A Survey of the Literature
Estudios de Economía Aplicada.

6. March, J. G. & Weil, T., 2005. On Leadership, Blackwell Publishing.

7. Martin J. Conyon and Lerong (2017), Firm Performance and Boardroom Gender Diversity:
A Quantile Regression Approach, Journal of Business Research

8. M. Fernanda Wagstaff, John Hadjimarcou1, and Chiara Chano (2020), Gender Equality in
International Business Education , Journal of Management Education.

9. Thomas Kalliath & Paula Brough (2015), Work–life balance: A review of the meaning of
the balance construct, Cambridge University Press.

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