Please see the attached documents for the details needed to complete this task. Need both assignments completed by deadline. The Problem & Purpose Statement document is for Assignment 5-2. You will need to use it to complete Assignment 5-2.

The studies explored in the problem statement provide various theoretical approaches to understanding the effects of leadership and women. Specifically, the health of women in society, as well as their leadership positions, has been outlined through various theories. The multiple methods present a useful view of the problem statement and research proposed in this paper. The following theories were derived from the studies, and they highlight the means which researchers have operationalized them as well as how they can be used to support this study.

Affective Events Theory

This theory focuses on the effects of emotions on job satisfaction and worker performance. Its application by Walter (2007) in his study of leadership rests on the central role of affective reactions of leaders towards developing charismatic leadership. This theory argues that the emotional responses of leaders and other employees in the workplace affect work attitudes and behaviors. In this study, the main variables include the affective and attitudinal influences of leaders and workers (Walter, 2007). These are independent variables that the researcher believes affect behaviors in the workplace. The researcher has thus used these variables to define charismatic leadership as developed through consistent application of positive affective practices by the leader. Positive affect has been prioritized as an antecedent of charismatic behavior. This theory supports my study by showing how people in an organization interact with female leaders. If affective emotions are used in the workplace, female leaders can grow into charismatic leaders by influencing the behaviors and attitudes of workers in the organization.

Social Equity

Social equity is yet another theory which has been utilized in the studies to highlight women’s role in society. This theory is based on the concept of applying justice and fairness in accessing social amenities (Atakro et al., 2019). Access to healthcare and leadership opportunities lay within this theory, which incorporates issues of gender and sexuality. This theory has been utilized by Atakro et al. (2019) to explain women’s access to safe abortion services in Ghana. The main variables include attitudes towards abortion and also access to healthcare services by women in the country. The author shows the existence of gender-biases in general attitudes towards abortion and hence the discrimination against the essential health service for women there. The theory of social equity supports my study by showing that gender biases prohibit equal opportunity for people in society. Leadership in organizations may be more available and accessible to men than women due to the general gender bias in appointments and attitudes towards leadership. Therefore, social equity theory insists that people from all gender identities access equal opportunities for leadership, and hence women should be elevated to positions of leadership with equal opportunity as men do.

Sensitivity and Specificity

The theory of sensitivity and specificity is one that describes the applicability of different screening and treatment procedures, methods, and approaches to people. This theory is based on the demographic differences of people and how various tools of treatment apply to these demographics (Zalesky et al., 2015). Primarily, the study by Chen, Brock, & Wu (2010) utilizes this tool to compare two cohorts of women and their approach to breast cancer screening. The effect of age on the sensitivity to detection and treatment is highlighted in this study with older women being portrayed as benefiting more from testing and treatment. This theory does not apply to my research because although it has been used to show differences among women, it does not contain any tenets or variables useful in leadership. Sensitivity and specificity is a healthcare and medical-centered theory which explains sensitivity to medical processes and hence does not apply to the field of leadership.

Quantitative Purpose Statement

The purpose of this study is to determine the frequency of perceived barriers hindering women from positions of power in society. The perceived boundaries of women to enter places of power can be stratified into structural, sociocultural, and intrapersonal (Hurley & Choudhary, 2016). This study seeks to determine the participants’ views towards these three classes of barriers and how much each category contributes to the gender-biased approach to leadership. The main objective of this study is to determine the most likely factor hindering women from becoming leaders in society. As such, this objective is further connected to the goal of developing processes that eliminate barriers that prevent women from accessing such opportunities. Another aim of this study is to determine the structures of society which must be changed to increase women leadership.

Moreover, the study will be organized to capture the feedback of women in organizational leadership positions. As such, potential participants include female leaders in different locations in different organizations. These participants are in an excellent position to contribute to this study since as leaders, they have encountered various challenges which they can rate effectively (Hurley & Choudhary, 2016). Structural, intrapersonal, and sociocultural factors all affect women. Examples of fundamental elements include issues such as job requirements and how they suit women. Intrapersonal factors include topics such as personal leadership qualities and ambition of many women, while sociocultural factors mainly revolve around the society’s attitudes and norms and how they interact with women in leadership.

Conclusion

The proposed study seeks to establish the factors most liable for barring women from positions of leadership. Social equity and affective events theories will be the most useful in this study. For instance, social equity outlines structural and sociocultural factors that may have inhibited career growth for women. Additionally, affective events theory mainly deals with the personal characteristics of women and how they may affect their chances at leadership. This quantitative study will pave the way for corrective measures to ensure that more women access positions of leadership and hence gender equality is enhanced in society.

References

Atakro, C. A., Addo, S. B., Aboagye, J. S., Menlah, A., Garti, I., Amoa-Gyarteng, K. G., ... & Mensah, A. K. (2019). Contributing factors to unsafe abortion practices among women of reproductive age at selected district hospitals in the Ashanti region of Ghana. BMC Women's Health, 19(1), 60.

Chen, Y., Brock, G., & Wu, D. (2010). Estimating key parameters in periodic breast cancer screening—application to the Canadian national breast screening study data. Cancer Epidemiology, 34(4), 429-433.

Hurley, D., & Choudhary, A. (2016). Factors influencing the attainment of CEO position for women. Gender in Management: An International Journal, 31(4), 250-265.

Walter, F. (2007). The development of effective leadership: investigating the antecedents of charismatic and prevention-oriented leadership behaviors (Doctoral dissertation, Verlag nicht ermittelbar).

Zalesky, A., Fornito, A., Cocchi, L., Gollo, L. L., van den Heuvel, M. P., & Breakspear, M. (2016). Connectome sensitivity or specificity: which is more important? Neuroimage, 142, 407-420.