#BreakTheBias: How Women can Change the Course of Leadership
By Jhoyce Vessette Cruz
We have been shaped to believe in the illusion that women in our societies are not capable of leading in general, and are made to be subordinates to their male counterparts. This is primarily because women tend to have more nurturing qualities than men which makes them more fit for the “supporting roles” in life. Moreover because of these qualities, societies have distinguished women to have more domestic roles compared to male counterparts as these characteristics are much more prevalent and needed in the household. Because of these things that have been attributed in our minds, we tend to have hesitations and biases when women become leaders. However, this should not be the case since women are also as capable as their counterparts in different matters, especially in leadership. In terms of breaking the misconceptions and bias against women leadership, we must learn the reasons why women should lead, what they can offer in leadership, and how women can change the future of leadership.
Reasons why women should lead
Leadership requires an individual to influence and guide the members of an organization towards the shared and desired goals. Because men are perceived to have strong qualities such as being logical, decisive, and authoritarian, they are given more opportunities in terms of leading, especially in the workplace. On the other hand, women are seen to have softer and weaker qualities such as having more empathy and being mindful which are found to be more effective in supporting in the workplace rather than leading. However, these soft qualities that are perceived by many tend to have more long-lasting and effective development not only in the workplace, but also in society. Studies have shown that by exhibiting these qualities, women tend to create a more transformational leadership in the organization. One quality that women tend to have that is helpful to an organization is having empathy. Since women are perceived to have a more nurturing and caring environment than men, they tend to be more empathetic to the needs of others, be open to communication, and be more welcoming to new ideas. In exhibiting these qualities in an organization, employees tend to lower their guards, give more trust, and find more mentorship embodiment in women leaders. This helps in improving not just the quality of work of employees but also their work environment. Furthermore, it gives a safer environment in terms of being more open to new and diverse perspectives that can help in bringing solutions and thus encourage employees to have teamwork. Aside from that, women are found to juggle more responsibilities in their hands which makes them more resilient and adaptable to changes. This empowers them to adjust to new situations and helps them to be better in different crises. The perceived weak qualities of women therefore, tend to exhibit and generate more rewarding results that are vital to the organization.
The role of women in the future of leadership
By knowing the abilities that women exhibit and generate, we can now see how they transform and shape the environment in the workplace. However, this effect is not only evident in the workplace but also in society, as well. During the pandemic, many female leaders from around the globe manifested great leadership skills even at the height of crisis. Countries that were led by women demonstrated better functioning in handling the distress brought about by the pandemic. With this, it can be seen that women still respond better in a glass cliff phenomenon— women are given the chance to lead in times where chances of failure is high. This may be a common practice in the workplaces wherein women are only asked to lead when the problems are already rising and there are no more solutions that are present to help the organization. Despite the dilemmas faced by women leaders, they are still found to be more effective in handling the cases, whether in the organization or in society, and it is all because of what made them appear to be weak, which are their soft skills and qualities. Studies have shown that the way women communicated, encouraged, and inspired pushed many employees and members of the organization through working even in the midst of the crisis. This shows that women are as capable, and sometimes even better, as their counterparts in handling situations and problems that may not seem foreseeable. Moreover, this showed that the transformative leadership that women have, paved the way for comfort to be found in times of crisis.
It’s Time to #BreakTheBias
Beyond the stereotypes and illusions that society made, women are generally capable of leading and they lead while taking everyone and everything in consideration. Breaking the biases against women leaders is not an easy thing to do, but here are some ways to help us break them:
Acknowledge your biases. It has always been a difficult thing to admit that we have our misconceptions and doubts but it is the first step in having a more open perspective in a lot of ideas, including women leadership.
Evaluate and examine your ideas towards women. Microaggressions against women are sometimes embedded in the way we communicate and see them. These little things can be avoided if we can evaluate and prevent them from happening again.
Stick to facts. Sometimes, the best way to break the bias is to look at research and studies to see how women leaders are as capable as their counterparts. Learning more about how women can contribute to leadership, may it be in the workplace or in society, can help us to see them in a different perspective.
Breaking the bias against women leaders may be a difficult thing to do, but it takes a few little steps to combat the prejudices that we have for women and see that they are more than what the world labeled them to be. To know more about women leadership and well-being, register at our free webinars this March through HERE:
References:
10 reasons why the world needs more women in leadership roles. Natural HR. (2021, June 22). Retrieved March 10, 2022, from https://www.naturalhr.com/2021/03/23/10-reasons-why-the-world-needs-more-women-in-leadership-roles/
Corbett, H. (2022, March 9). How to #breakthebias at work on International Women's Day, and every day. Forbes. Retrieved March 10, 2022, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/hollycorbett/2022/03/08/how-to-breakthebias-at-work-on-international-womens-day-and-every-day/?sh=45896c261e6b
Li, M. (2020, December 2). Why women are better leaders: Lead read Today. Lead Read Today | Fisher College of Business. Retrieved March 10, 2022, from https://fisher.osu.edu/blogs/leadreadtoday/why-women-are-better-leaders
Megan, A. (2020, November 29). Highlighting importance of women leadership in your organization. WITI. Retrieved March 10, 2022, from https://witi.com/articles/1843/Highlighting-Importance-Of-Women-Leadership-In-Your-Organization/
Pratt, M. K. (2017, November 29). What is leadership? - definition from whatis.com. SearchCIO. Retrieved March 10, 2022, from https://www.techtarget.com/searchcio/definition/leadership
Zenger, J., & Folkman, J. (2021, September 17). Research: Women are better leaders during a crisis. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved March 10, 2022, from https://hbr.org/2020/12/research-women-are-better-leaders-during-a-crisis
