Women's Success as Leaders

I mostly agree with the “yes” side, but as always there’s more to it, and I also agree that biological differences are also a small barrier for women’s success. The gender gap in wages amazes me, especially when comparing the same job, same experience, and same education. I found it interesting that married men were associated with higher wages and married women were associated with lower wages. I understand the underlying factors leading to this difference, but it is a form of wage discrimination. Married women often become tied down and less focused on their job due to family obligations, as they are expected to be the caretakers of family and relationships. They may also take time off for parenthood. Married men are often seen as more committed and responsible, not only in their life but in the workplace. Another wage gap is seen in education, as it had a more positive effect on women’s wages than on men’s wages. Must women get a degree to prove their ability?

Men and women have different communication styles: men are typically associated with an agentic style while women with a communal style. Most people believe effective leadership is done with an agentic style. This belief may be rooted in history, as men have long been leaders and have demonstrated that this style can be effective. Women who use an agentic style are often criticized for not being communal enough (as women are expected to be), and both men and women are more turned off by a woman using an agentic style. Furthermore, it is not typical social behavior for women to use self-promotion or assert themselves, while a man can use both of these to work towards promotion. Societal expectations men’s and women’s appropriate behavior is playing a role in the gender gap. When leadership styles are compared, women are more commonly transformational, and women’s styles have been shown to be more effective than men’s styles.

Finally, women typically face more pressure than men at home, when the work day ends. Women contribute to more household work and have less time to advance their careers through socializing with coworkers and clients. Changing roles and more men taking on household/parenthood roles, is slowly changing the work/home dynamic. But there remains an imbalance in the home, as society still views women as primary caretakers.

I believe biology and society plays a role in which careers men and women choose, and there are wage discrepancies between traditional male and traditional female careers. But, the important data to look at is wage difference between men and women in the same careers….and a gap still exists.

What human resource practices can be adopted to lessen the gender gap at home and with parenthood?

Do you think traditionally female careers should earn lower average wages than traditionally male careers? Why or why not?