ENGLISH ESSAY

Running head: WOMEN LEADERSHIP 1

WOMEN LEADERSHIP 5

Women Leadership

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation

Women Leadership

Determination of women as effective leaders is a subject that extends beyond biological and gender differences that exist between male and females. Whether it is a fact-based phenomena or a perception that has gradually graduated into a reality, women present effective leadership qualities as compared to their male counterparts. Attention in this study should, therefore, focus on the leadership styles used by the female leaders, factors that impede the development of their leadership capabilities, and the various contexts of leadership. Emphasis on these factors would present the reliable information on women’s leadership styles (Maseko & Proches, 2013).

Literature Review

According to a stance by taken by Maseko and Proches (2013), women project managers in South Africa manifest different leadership capabilities. This group of leaders focuses on people-orientation, democratic approaches and transformational styles of leadership. The leaders are of the opinion that gender differences between males and females should not be the key factors that influence project leadership. Ability to provide the competencies, skills, and knowledge needed for the project management does not emanate from gender characteristics. The results of the study conducted by the authors revealed that women project leaders were likely to adopt a people-oriented approach while the male ones were likely to use a task-oriented method These differences indicates that women are good people managers than the men (Maseko, & Proches, 2013).

While Maseko and Porches (2013) compared male and female leadership in the arena of project management, Nguyen (2013) brings in a completely different context. The author explores women’s leadership in the field of academics. His approach embraces the difficulties experienced by women deans in developing countries with Vietnam as the main area of focus. The author identifies different factors that inhibit leadership and career development of female deans in the universities. The major obstacles that top the list are negative labeling based on gender, strong commitments to family issues, and the unwillingness of the female deans to participate in leadership positions. The factors that facilitate the development of leadership qualities among the group include support from the family and individual efforts. Nonetheless, the study empirically proved that family support and women empowerment initiatives play an important role in developing leadership capabilities in females (Nguyen, 2013).

Women have leadership and entrepreneurial skills as the male leaders do. This is according the position taken by Li, Bao, and Jiang (2013). The authors investigate the subject under discussion in the context of entrepreneurship and focused on Eastern and Shanghai provinces of China. The researchers posit that female entrepreneurs use an achievement-based leadership style. The approach embodies the elements of high consideration and the ability to take initiatives. Additionally, the authors assert that the disparities in consideration approaches adopted by women are to the enterprises and business ventures managed by the leaders. Achievement-based orientation indicates that women can also adopt the task-oriented approach eminent in male leadership approaches (Li, Bao & Jiang, 2013).

While the above authors mainly looked at the women’s leadership in the business environment, Homma, Motohashi, and Ohtsubo (2013) deviate from this convention and looks at subject in terms of scientific involvement. The authors investigated leadership in the field of science and the challenges faced by the individuals in the sector. The researchers postulate that negative gender biases against women scientists have denied Japan the opportunity to realize the potential in this category of researchers. According to the findings of the study, it is evident that women scientists are equally skilled and talented as their male counterparts. Research institutions and government entities should, therefore, take affirmative action to encourage the participation of women in the field of science (Homma, Motohashi & Ohtsubo, 2013).

In conclusion, women leaders are effective as the male ones. Biological or gender differences between the groups have nothing to do with leadership styles and the effectiveness of the various approaches used. Recommendations for further research on the subject of leadership should focus on specific factors that promote leadership development among women such as family support, self-initiatives, and community empowerment programs (Maseko & Proches, 2013).

References

Homa, K.M., Motohashi, R., & Ohtubo, H. (2013). Maximizing the potential of scientists in japan: promoting. equal participation for women scientists through leadership development. Genes to Cells (2013) 18, 529–532.

Li, C., Bao, L., & Jiang, Q. (2013). Leadership styles of entrepreneurial women in Eastern China: Characteristics and differences. Social Behavior and Personality, 41(3), 421-432

Maseko, M. B., & Proches, G.N. (2013). Leadership styles deployed by women project managers. Gender and Behaviour, 11(2), 5663-5672

Nguyen, H. L. (2013). Barriers to and facilitators of female Deans’career advancement in higher education: an exploratory study in Vietnam. High Education, 66,123–138.