The Great Man Has Retired, Women Can Be Leaders Too

It is time for a more fair and open-minded concept of leadership in the business world.

In the corporate world, leadership has been generally linked to masculinity and the number of male leaders greatly exceeds female leaders. Considering the U.S.A., women hold almost 52 percent of all management and professional level jobs, but they lag substantially behind men in terms of their representation in leadership positions, statistical data speak clear:

• In the legal profession, women are 45 percent of associates but only 22.7 percent of partners and 19 percent of equity partners
• In medicine, women represent 40 percent of all physicians and surgeons but only 16 percent of permanent medical school deans
• In academia, women have earned the majority of doctorates for eight consecutive years but are only 32 percent of full professors and 30 percent of college presidents
• In the financial services industry, women constitute 61 percent of accountants and auditors, 53 percent of financial managers, and 37 percent of financial analysts.13 But they are only 12.5 percent of chief financial officers in Fortune 500 companies
• Considering representation in politics, as of 2019 statistical data, women represented only 24 percent of members of Congress: 24 percent of the House and 23 percent of the Senate. They held 28 percent of seats in state legislatures, while representing only 18 percent of governors and, as of August 2018, only 23 percent of the mayors of the 100 largest American cities. Women of color represented less than 9 percent of members of Congress.

How can it be possible?

The reasons for that inequity can be found in the patriarchal structure of western society, which is culturally based on prevarication and the male ownership of political and economical leadership, moral authority, social privilege, and control of the private property.

It is no case that the Great Man Theory of leadership — a 19th-century idea according to which history can be largely explained by the impact of great men ideated by Scottish philosopher and essayist Thomas Carlyle — identifies as key personal traits courage, charm, commanding personality, and aggressiveness: all traits linked to the concept of masculinity.

Modern leadership theories describe how there are no fixed traits to possess in order to be great leaders, but instead, leadership is a complex and fluid concept that must be adapted in different contexts and cultural backgrounds.

Considering the Behavioural Theories of leadership — first developed in the ’40 — it appears clear how behavioral traits, rather than personal ones, are the key to develop great leadership skills; behavioral traits can be taught, learned, and practiced through personal and professional life, hence there is no reason why gender could influence such a complex and personal learning path.

Exploring the background of the women-leader concept is not as easy as it might seem: the theme of female leadership has seen several variations over the last few years, so the necessary premise is that there is no universal leadership that can be considered as a fixed model. Rather, the key is to be able to express one’s own leadership style in accordance with what is effective in a given particular environment, regardless of gender and other superstructures.

In order to challenge the status quo and to get rid of the existing patriarchal dynamics, it is crucial to have an ethical approach in leadership, that includes eradicating any kind of gender, racial and discriminatory dynamic within the business environment; there is no reason why females should be kept out of leadership roles, and it is today’s leaders’ responsibility to contribute building a more fair and open-minded business world.

References:

• Gender Leadership Gap Data. (2019). Center for American Progress.