Women in Leadership: Styles, Strategies, and Successes

Dana Heller Levitt, PhD, NCC Montclair State University

National Conference for College Women Student Leaders June 2009

Who Am I?

I am a leader

We are becoming leaders

Our journeys to leadership

Questions for Reflection

Define a leader. What does it take to be a leader on your campus and in your field?

What is Leadership?
What does it take to be a successful leader?
How do you feel about "what it takes" to be successful?

Who are the leaders on your campus?

How many of those leaders are women? How do these leadership models fit with traditional and non-traditional female roles?

Definitions of Leaders and Leadership

Three Dimensions of Leadership (West, Osborn, & Bubenzer, 2003) 1. Context of Leadership 2. Vision 3. Action Advocate Change Agent, Social Activist, Catalyst (Borders & Shoffner, 2003)

Who can be a leader?

Leadership Styles
Contingency Collaborative Transformational

What is consistent for your personality?

How sensitive are these styles to gender role?

Historical Perspective of Women and Leadership

Gilligan (1982): In a Different Voice
Relational focus Growing towards vs. apart Interrelationship schema

Feminism Differential advancement trends

Leadership Theory: The Role of Gender?

Power
Gender Race Class

Masculine and Feminine Traits:

Who is a leader and who is a follower? Preference for egalitarian structure, consensus-driven decisionmaking (Bartinek, Walsh, & Lacey, 2000)

Patriarchal power and a focus on hegemonic masculinity

(Coleman, 2003)

Feminism as a backdrop
But, limited in mainstream leadership literature (Coleman, 2003)

Gender and Leadership: Stereotypes

Bradley (2005):
African American Women Counselor Educators Mammy or Sapphire Penalized when holding professional roles

Coleman (2003):
Head teachers in England and Wales Not fitting the stereotypical male role freed their behavior: avoidance of confrontation, use of wiles, different interactions with males

Gender and Leadership: Stereotypes

Consensus-driven Egalitarian Not interested in leadership post-family (Medina & Magnuson, 2009) The infamous B

Challenges for Women in Leadership

Patriarchal construct (Vandermassen, 2008)
Seeking status in male structure Competition with other women Male alliances Socialization towards male dominance?

Mommy Wars (Steiner, 2006) Glass Ceiling Effect Unacceptable Pride (Eagley & Carli, 2007) Greater recognition needs for same work (Blair-Loy, 2003)

Questions for Reflection

Who are females that you recognize as leaders? Why is female leadership needed?

Continuing the Journey

Describe the challenges and successes in your leadership experience and path. What has contributed to your success? How do your challenges and successes relate to gender?

What recommendations do you have for women emerging into leadership positions?

Women as Women, Then Leaders?

Mommy Wars (Steiner, 2006) Perfect Madness (Warner, 2005) Childless Women and Inequity Gloria Steinem Baumgartner & Richards (2000): ManifestA Gender Roles The role of work in womens lives
Domestic Responsibilities Division of Labor - in and out of the home

Leading for Tomorrow from Yesterday

Sisters Examples of Female Leaders (Newsweek, October 15, 2007)
Cleopatra Catherine the Great Elizabeth I Golda Meir Indira Gandhi Margaret Thatcher Senator Hillary Clinton

Todays Female Leader:

YOU!

Strategies for Success

What are your successful leadership qualities? What does leadership mean to you? Challenge the system Role induction and balance

Balancing Multiple Roles

Who do you want to be? Prioritize success Redefine leadership Role models and role modeling Pay it forward

Where will you be tomorrow?

Continuing the journey, forging the path for future women leaders.