tag:theconversation.com,2011:/ca/topics/female-leadership-39307/articlesFemale leadership – The Conversation2024-03-07T14:28:20Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2219082024-03-07T14:28:20Z2024-03-07T14:28:20ZSeven reasons more female leaders would be a positive step for the climate<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574647/original/file-20240209-18-frd1d3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Former prime minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern prioritised environmental issues during her tenure. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/brussels-belgium-25th-january-2019-zealands-1294621573">Alexandros Michailidis/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Initially, everyone on the organising committee for the COP29 global climate summit was male. In response, the <a href="https://www.shechangesclimate.org/">She Changes Climate</a> campaign group stated that “climate change affects the whole world, not half of it”. A <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/jan/15/cop29-climate-summit-committee-appointed-with-28-men-and-no-women-azerbaijan">backlash</a> followed and women have since been included to enhance representation within the committee. </p>
<p>A gender-balanced committee is not only a matter of justice and representation, but it also represents a strategic choice. Addressing the complex global challenge of climate change requires diverse perspectives and experiences. Female leaders can bring different qualities to the table. </p>
<h2>1. Caring about nature</h2>
<p>If leaders care about the planet, climate policies will reflect that. <a href="https://www.europeansocialsurvey.org/">Data shows that</a> as citizens, women tend to care for nature and the environment more than men and they tend to be more responsible for actions which may impact the climate change. </p>
<p>According to this <a href="https://www.europeansocialsurvey.org/">European Social Survey</a> data, the share of women who agreed that it’s important to care for nature and the environment is higher than the share of men in all European countries. The difference is not large, ranging from 7% in Austria to 0.3% in France, but the pattern is consistent across all countries. </p>
<p>When people were asked whether they feel personally responsible for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, 52% women agreed compared with 48% of men. More than 63% of women agreed that limiting their energy use reduced greenhouse gas emissions, compared to just 36% of men. </p>
<h2>2. Wanting to take action</h2>
<p>When first appointed to their roles of prime minister in New Zealand and Finland respectively, Jacinda Ardern and Sanna Marin <a href="https://www.ipu.org/news/news-in-brief/2022-07/climate-action-these-seven-women-mps-are-leading-way">both declared</a> that climate change was an emergency and announced actions for their country which influenced the global efforts to mitigate climate change. </p>
<p>Female policymakers agree more than men on the need of measures for the environment, according to data from the <a href="https://www.comparativecandidates.org/">Comparative Candidate Survey </a>. Among politicians who ran for the national parliament elections, 83% of women believed that stronger measures should be taken to protect the environment, compared to 75% of men. </p>
<p>My <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/gender-equality-and-public-policy/63D91B648D83CB692D3C7195D8E94088">own research</a> shows that the difference between men and women is significant even when we control for individual characteristics, including age, ideology, education, religion, occupation and number of children.</p>
<h2>3. Making change happen</h2>
<p>Firms with more women in decision-making positions tend to perform better on environmental and sustainable outcomes. I <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/gender-equality-and-public-policy/63D91B648D83CB692D3C7195D8E94088">found that</a> companies with three or more female directors perform better on specific measures of environmental performance. </p>
<p>The share of managers also matters: a higher female presence in managerial positions is associated with better environmental performance. This is measured by an indicator which considers different factors: pollution of air, land and water and the impacts on biodiversity, the use of non-renewable energy, water, land, forests, minerals, the production of waste and new product development efforts to remedy these problems. </p>
<h2>4. Being altruistic</h2>
<p>Men and women tend to show differences in social orientation. As American sociologist Nancy Chodorow outlined in her 1978 book, <a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520221550/the-reproduction-of-mothering">The Reproduction of Mothering: Psychoanalysis and the Sociology of Gender</a>, women are directed toward the caregiver role, so they are encouraged to be more compassionate, nurturing, protective, and cooperative than men. <a href="https://academic.oup.com/qje/article-abstract/116/1/293/1939030?redirectedFrom=fulltext">Experimental research</a> in 2001 confirmed that women tend to be more altruistic and socially oriented than men. </p>
<h2>5. Having more opportunities</h2>
<p>Gender roles and different opportunities may also play a role in gender differences in attitudes towards the environment. The <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08941920.2014.918235">biological availability hypothesis</a> suggests that women spend less time at work than men and more time at home, so they have more opportunities to engage in private pro-environment behaviours such as recycling and water use (although this doesn’t mean they have more free time). Women also tend to be more concerned than men about health and safety issues and this is reflected in higher levels of <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0013916596283003">environmental concerns</a>. </p>
<h2>6. Approaching risk with caution</h2>
<p>Women perceive risks differently. Women tend to be more risk averse than men, as they tend to prefer an outcome which is certain to an uncertain one associated to <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev-economics-111809-125122">higher return</a>.</p>
<h2>7. Taking the long-term view</h2>
<p>When approaching climate change, women tend to offer fresh perspectives, creative problem-solving skills and inclusive leadership styles. As climate change affects everyone, our collective effort benefits from acknowledging the diverse ways in which men and women express concerns about the issues and propose actions for the future. Women tend to be more patient and willing to wait for higher <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1996-01404-001">reward in the future</a> and they care about the consequences of their actions over a longer time frame. </p>
<p>In any decision-making process, personal leadership style is a crucial factor. Gender plays a significant role in shaping that style and female leadership style tends to focus more on long-term goals. That can help drive solutions that mitigate and adapt the impact of climate change. </p>
<p>Including more women at the table at the future climate summits is an essential step towards making real change. Each of us can make the difference, as citizens, voters, business entrepreneurs and decision-makers to promote better representation and more balanced decisions, for now and for future generations.</p>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Paola Profeta does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Research shows that men and women have different perspectives on climate, with huge implications in terms of policymaking. For that reason, diverse leadership is essential.Paola Profeta, Dean for Diversity Inclusion and Sustainability, Professor of Public Economics, Director of Axa Research Lab on Gender Equality, Bocconi UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2246912024-03-05T20:57:58Z2024-03-05T20:57:58ZWomen want to climb the corporate ladder — but not at any price<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/578677/original/file-20240115-27-31qawf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Women are just as interested in opportunities for advancement as men are. However, they find them less attainable because of their busy schedules.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The consulting firm <a href="https://www.spencerstuart.com/">Spencer Stuart</a> recently published a study <a href="https://www.spencerstuart.com/-/media/2023/december/f500-profiles/fortune-500-csuite-snapshot-profiles-in-functional-leadership.pdf">of top management at Fortune 500 companies</a>, the 500 richest companies in the United States.</p>
<p>The analysis focused specifically on the gender of the people in these positions, their functions and the source of their appointments, whether they came from inside or outside the organization.</p>
<p>Studying the composition of top management, often referred to as the C-Suite, is particularly important since it allows us to see how many women make it to the position of CEO in an organization.</p>
<p>Respectively Dean of the John Molson School of Business, and an expert for several decades on the place of women in the upper echelons of the business world, we will discuss the main findings of the Spencer Stuart study.</p>
<h2>Starting points</h2>
<p>Three conclusions in particular caught our attention:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Men represent 60 per cent of the select group that constitutes top management. Men principally occupy the positions that offer the greatest potential for appointment as CEO, <a href="https://www.spencerstuart.com/-/media/2021/december/lastmile/the-last-mile-to-the-top-future-ceos-who-beat-the-odds.pdf">according to the history of appointments to such positions</a>. These include, for example, Chief Operating Officer, Head of Division and Chief Financial Officer;</p></li>
<li><p>Although women are increasingly present in top management positions (40 per cent), they are still found in the positions of Head of Human Resources, Head of Communications, Head of Diversity and Inclusion and Head of Sustainable Development. In other words, women are in so-called support functions that, while important for organizations, are unfortunately perceived as having little impact on shareholder equity and financial performance;</p></li>
<li><p>Appointments to top management positions that lead to the position of CEO come mainly from within the company. What does this mean? That an intimate knowledge of the organization gained over a long period is valued and that there is generally a promotion process in place to feed the succession pool.</p></li>
</ul>
<h2>Global overview of the situation</h2>
<p>Our experience over the last few decades allows us to draw similar conclusions about Canada. So we wanted to check whether this situation was similar in other countries.</p>
<p>A report by the International Labour Organization called <a href="https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/---publ/documents/publication/wcms_700953.pdf">“The Business Case for Change”</a> provides an overview of the position of women in the upper echelons of power in 13,000 companies operating on every continent.</p>
<p>As in the United States and Canada, the gender divide between positions that could be called support jobs, and those that contribute directly to an organization’s profitability, appears to be widespread. According to the authors of this study, it is also referred to as a “glass wall,” since it limits the pool of potential female candidates for the position of CEO.</p>
<p>But how can this phenomenon be explained?</p>
<h2>Stereotypes, biases and prejudices</h2>
<p>First of all, gender stereotypes and prejudices come into play from childhood.</p>
<p>They have an impact on the toys children play with, the subjects they study, their lives and their future careers.</p>
<p>Girls — generally speaking — aspire to become doctors, teachers, nurses, psychologists and veterinary surgeons. As for boys, they want to become engineers and <a href="https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/smashing-gender-stereotypes-and-bias-and-through-education">work in IT and mechanical fields</a>.</p>
<h2>Organizational culture</h2>
<p>Secondly, organizational culture is a <a href="https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/---publ/documents/publication/wcms_700953.pdf">mirror of our society and its traditions</a>.</p>
<p>It therefore conveys biases regarding the leadership potential of women compared to men.</p>
<p>According to the International Labour Organization survey cited above, 91 per cent of the women questioned agreed or strongly agreed that women lead as effectively as men. However, only 77 per cent of men agreed with this statement.</p>
<p>Arguably, this leadership bias has an impact on the recruitment, appointment, talent development and “stretch assignment” processes that pave the way for career progression.</p>
<p>There is also reason to believe that these biases are equally present on boards of directors, which are responsible for appointing CEOs and which are still predominantly composed of men.</p>
<h2>Different life goals</h2>
<p>Finally, women and men have different preferences and career goals.</p>
<p>According to a study by Harvard Business School professors Francesca Gino and Alison Wood Brooks entitled <a href="https://hbr.org/2015/09/explaining-gender-differences-at-the-top">“Explaining the Gender Differences at the Top,”</a> women are just as interested in opportunities for advancement as men are. However, they find them less attainable because of their busy schedules. As a result, women have to more seriously take into account the compromises and sacrifices they will have to make to occupy positions of high responsibility and power.</p>
<p>The authors are careful to point out that these results do not mean that women are less ambitious, but that career success means different things to different people. For some, it takes the form of power. For others, it can mean making colleagues happy and helping to make the world a better place in a collaborative and supportive environment.</p>
<p>This research is in line with that of Viviane de Beaufort, a professor at the École supérieure des sciences économiques et commerciales (ESSEC). In a survey of the career aspirations of 295 French women managers, she found that women do want to rise to the highest positions. <a href="https://www.academia.edu/80171918/WP_CERESSEC_CEDE_ESSEC_Viviane_de_Beaufort_2022_avec_le_collectif_WOMEN_BOARD_READY_ESSEC">But not at any price</a>.</p>
<h2>What determines career paths?</h2>
<p>This article therefore raises the following question:</p>
<p>Can we, as women, one day hope to be CEOs or fulfill our professional dreams despite the biases, prejudices, stereotypes and barriers we have to overcome?</p>
<p>Simone de Beauvoir wrote in 1949 in her essay “The Second Sex”:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Women determine and differentiate themselves in relation to men, not men in relation to women: they are inessential in relation to what is essential. He is the subject, he is the absolute, she is the other.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This excerpt reminds us that the skills and knowledge required to perform strategic functions have always been defined in terms of the male exercise of power in an environment where the organization’s performance is judged almost exclusively by financial success and growth of shareholder value.</p>
<p>It’s time to think about new career paths and skills that are not defined by gender, but rather, by an organization’s mission and objectives. These goals must take into account <a href="https://hbr.org/2022/07/the-c-suite-skills-that-matter-most">how they contribute to creating a better world</a>, as much as ensuring the financial success of organizations.</p>
<p>Functional skills must be valued as much as softer skills such as emotional intelligence, empathy, a sense of community and boldness.</p>
<p>Breaking down glass walls also means that organizations and their boards have a responsibility to identify and encourage women to take up positions where they can gain experience and develop their leadership skills in front line rather than support roles.</p>
<p>In such a context, women, as much as men, will have a better chance of reaching the highest positions in a company while remaining true to themselves — and doing so on equal terms.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/224691/count.gif" alt="La Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Les auteurs ne travaillent pas, ne conseillent pas, ne possèdent pas de parts, ne reçoivent pas de fonds d'une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n'ont déclaré aucune autre affiliation que leur organisme de recherche.</span></em></p>Women are increasingly present in top management positions, but they end up in so-called support functions, which rarely lead to CEO positions.Louise Champoux-Paillé, Cadre en exercice, John Molson School of Business, Concordia UniversityAnne-Marie Croteau, Dean, John Molson School of Business, Concordia UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1978622023-03-26T12:56:31Z2023-03-26T12:56:31ZCorporate management: Women are losing ground and need to be more strategic, but the culture must also change<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/504760/original/file-20230116-16-2boffm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=110%2C11%2C7238%2C4891&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">There are fewer women in management positions than before the pandemic. There are several reasons for this, but the fact that women prefer to work from home is not helping them rise.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Management consulting firm McKinsey recently released its eighth <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/%7E/media/mckinsey/featured%20insights/diversity%20and%20inclusion/women%20in%20the%20workplace%202022/women-in-the-workplace-2022.pdf">study on the advancement of women in the corporate world</a> (<em>Women in the Workplace 2022</em>). Although it focuses on large U.S. companies, many of its findings point to a future where women’s representation in senior management positions will become increasingly rare, and where women will need more stamina, perseverance and fighting spirit to hold on to these positions.</p>
<p>Who will lose in this future? Women, men and society as a whole.</p>
<p>Some of the findings of the study are of particular concern:</p>
<p>1) Over the past year, women leaders have left their jobs at a higher rate than their male colleagues and this gap is the largest seen in the past five years.</p>
<p>2) A lower representation of women in engineering and technology positions compared to 2018 means that men are now 2.5 times more represented than in 2018. This is of great concern since this is the fastest growing sector with the highest-paying jobs.</p>
<p>As Dean of the John Molson School of Business and as an expert on women’s place in the upper echelons of the business world for several decades, respectively, we are concerned about this regression.</p>
<h2>The malaise goes beyond work-family balance</h2>
<p>What are the reasons that lead women to either withdraw from the labour market or to seek new employment that is more in line with their priorities and values after reaching leadership positions?</p>
<p>Difficulties in reconciling work, family and personal life are certainly part of the explanation, but other reasons need to be mentioned, in particular those that have more to do with the quality of the work environment compared to men:</p>
<p>1) Lack of recognition: 37 per cent of women leaders see other colleagues taking credit for their good ideas while this phenomenon happens to only 27 per cent of men </p>
<p>2) Frequent questioning of their decisions by male colleagues on the grounds that they do not have the appropriate skills to make them</p>
<p>3) More difficult access to promotions because of their gender or family responsibilities</p>
<p>4) Microaggressions</p>
<p>5) Lack of corporate commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)</p>
<h2>Getting to the top, but not at any price</h2>
<p>It is important to note the changing needs of women in the last two years in relation to their workplaces.</p>
<p>Both women leaders and women under 30 say that opportunities for advancement is the most important issue for them. Younger women also place a higher priority on flexibility and the companies’ commitment to workplace wellness and DEI programs.</p>
<p>In addition, young women say they would be more interested in becoming leaders if they had more role models of female leaders who achieve the kind of work-life balance they desire.</p>
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<img alt="A young woman, sitting at a computer, facing a window" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498790/original/file-20221204-55987-z2bf2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498790/original/file-20221204-55987-z2bf2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498790/original/file-20221204-55987-z2bf2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498790/original/file-20221204-55987-z2bf2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498790/original/file-20221204-55987-z2bf2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498790/original/file-20221204-55987-z2bf2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498790/original/file-20221204-55987-z2bf2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Opportunities for advancement are the element young women are most concerned about and they prioritize flexibility and companies’ commitment to well-being at work.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>Such findings are of concern, as the retention of women in management positions and the maintenance of a rich pool of female potential will surely be hampered in the future by issues related to quality of work life and employee well-being.</p>
<p>The recent study by ESSEC professor Viviane de Beaufort on the professional aspirations of 295 French women managers allows us to take these observations further: women want to reach the highest positions <a href="https://www.academia.edu/80171918/WP_CERESSEC_CEDE_ESSEC_Viviane_de_Beaufort_2022_avec_le_collectif_WOMEN_BOARD_READY_ESSEC">but not at any price</a>. This study adds some very interesting explanatory elements to the reigning sense of female disillusionment, from a disconnect between discourse and reality, to unethical governance, persistence of boys’ club mentalities, non-exemplary behaviour of leaders and lack of trust in employees.</p>
<h2>Labour market becoming more masculine again?</h2>
<p>If this trend continues in what de Beaufort so aptly describes as a “sideways movement,” it will result in places of power becoming more masculine again in the coming years.</p>
<p>This trend could even be accentuated by another phenomenon: working from home, which women favour in their search for better work/life balance. However, as the saying goes: out of sight, out of mind. Lack of contact and visibility in the workplace could mean that fewer women will be promoted to management positions or considered for the list of candidates for management positions.</p>
<p>A trend towards fewer female leadership appointments will, once again, create a male-dominated labour market <a href="https://www.catalyst.org/research/women-in-male-dominated-industries-and-occupations/">that is not conducive to the inclusion and development of female leadership</a>. Furthermore, this scarcity will reduce the opportunity for young women aspiring to leadership roles to meet other experienced women who could serve as role models. The female support network within companies will diminish and, consequently, limit the number of sponsors and mentors that young aspiring decision-makers need.</p>
<p>Another phenomenon emerging as a result of the pandemic is the increase in learning difficulties among some children. <a href="https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/pressures-of-homeschooling-during-pandemic-reveal-gender-imbalances-study-1.5502627">It is often women who are tasked with helping children</a>. So this additional responsibility raises another barrier to career advancement for young women.</p>
<h2>New skills</h2>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/un-monde-du-travail-a-reinventer-pour-faire-une-meilleure-place-aux-femmes-173862">As discussed in a previous article</a>, the typical career path in medium and large organizations is rather linear. It is based on knowledge, experience and relationships developed over time, and power gradually acquired as one moves up the ladder.</p>
<p>This typical progression does not take into account the peripheral vision that is now needed in order to create both financial and non-financial value for the organization. Indeed, the expectations for organizations to contribute to environmental protection, societal needs and better governance (ESG) <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2022/05/12/five-reasons-to-develop-women-to-lead-and-influence-your-corporate-esg-operating-models/?sh=4ac0810b1c23">require new, often less traditional skills</a> such as in-depth knowledge of sustainable development, public policy or environmental science. These disciplines are more popular with women than with men, so this opens up a new form of promotion for women.</p>
<h2>A world of work to be reinvented</h2>
<p>We have also become aware of the importance of reimagining work from the perspective of well-being and balance. <a href="https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/topics/leadership/employee-wellness-in-the-corporate-workplace.html">According to the findings of a recent Deloitte study</a>, this has become a priority for senior leaders. Organizations need to offer more than one promising career path to their employees and promote <em>inclusive</em> excellence where performance measures are rethought in light of DEI and ESG principles.</p>
<p>Talent acquisition and retention represent the biggest HR risk management challenges of the future. A new way of thinking about work and human resource development within organizations will have to emerge, and this will have to foster a better alignment of the demands of family, work and personal life.</p>
<p>Women are ambitious and want to progress within their organization and society. It is therefore our collective responsibility to readjust our ways of doing things and to remain on the lookout for our unconscious biases, while remaining rigorous and clear on the corporate objectives we are trying to achieve. This objective is certainly ambitious, but it will be the pillar of greater equity in the world of work for both women and men.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/197862/count.gif" alt="La Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Les auteurs ne travaillent pas, ne conseillent pas, ne possèdent pas de parts, ne reçoivent pas de fonds d'une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n'ont déclaré aucune autre affiliation que leur organisme de recherche.</span></em></p>Far from progressing, the position of women in management in companies is regressing. Several post-pandemic factors are at work, but both men and women are losing out.Louise Champoux-Paillé, Cadre en exercice, John Molson School of Business, Concordia UniversityAnne-Marie Croteau, Dean, John Molson School of Business, Concordia UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1944052022-12-09T10:44:55Z2022-12-09T10:44:55ZWhy we need more Lehman Sisters: the significant benefits of female leadership<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499076/original/file-20221205-17-f2tyhd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=46%2C15%2C5184%2C3406&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/fr/image-photo/silhouette-super-business-woman-look-somewhere-1024943923">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Establishing gender equality is one of the <a href="https://european-union.europa.eu/principles-countries-history/principles-and-values/aims-and-values_en">founding values of the European Union</a>, yet women are still underrepresented in decision-making positions in Europe. According to the <a href="https://eige.europa.eu/gender-statistics/dgs">European Institute of Gender Equality (EIGE)</a>, women represent just 32.3% of presidents, board members and employee representatives, and 21.5% of CEOs, executives and non-executives of the largest listed companies in Europe. The situation is much the same in other sectors, including governments, financial institutions and national academies of science.</p>
<p>Beyond the importance of equal representation, our <a href="https://www.axa-research.org/en/project/paola-profeta">research at the AXA Lab on Gender Equality</a> shows gender-balanced leadership has many benefits. Given that women make up half of the earth’s population, ensuring that they’re equally represented among potential candidates for a leadership post results provides larger pool being available; this, in turn, leads to a higher quality of the person selected. Thus, when women are involved in leadership positions which were traditionally male-dominated, there is a higher probability to have more qualified leaders.</p>
<p>This has been empirically proved by research. For example, the introduction of <a href="https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/abs/10.1287/mnsc.2021.4200">board gender quotas</a> in Italy not only increased the share of women on boards but raised the qualifications of all board members, male and female, because less-qualified men previously on the board were not re-appointed. This outcome depends on the status quo and becomes possible when qualified and competent women ready to be leaders are in abundant supply, as is the case today in many European countries.</p>
<h2>Imagining Lehman Sisters</h2>
<p>A second argument relates to the agenda and outcomes of institutions and organisations. The agendas of gender-balanced leaderships can include items typically neglected by a male-dominated groups, but that may be important for their organisations – for example, sustainability goals. There is evidence that the presence of women in political leadership is associated with <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0176268020300446">higher childcare funding</a>, which are positively related to maternal employment. This creates a virtuous circle, with women’s greater representation in leadership leading to policies that reduce gender gaps in the labour market.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499072/original/file-20221205-24-dchtz0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499072/original/file-20221205-24-dchtz0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499072/original/file-20221205-24-dchtz0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499072/original/file-20221205-24-dchtz0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499072/original/file-20221205-24-dchtz0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499072/original/file-20221205-24-dchtz0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499072/original/file-20221205-24-dchtz0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">The president of European Central Bank, Christine Lagarde, arrives for a hearing of the committee on economic and monetary affairs of the European Parliament in Brussels.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.afpforum.com/AFPForum/Search/Results.aspx?pn=1&smd=8&mui=3&q=4823152774898244456_0&fst=christine+lagarde&fto=3&t=2#pn=1&smd=8&mui=3&q=4823152774898244456_0&fst=christine+lagarde&fto=3&t=2">Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP</a></span>
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<p>Leadership style also matters. <a href="https://www.axa-research.org/en/news/barriers-to-women-in-employment-and-leadership">Research has established</a> that compared to men, women leaders tend to be more risk-averse and less competitive, more democratic and innovative, and that they have a longer-term horizon. These traits are not details: Christine Lagarde, former director of the IMF and current president of the European Central Bank, often noted that <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/09/ten-years-after-lehman-lessons-learned-and-challenges-ahead">if Lehman Brothers had been “Lehman Sisters”</a>, the 2007-2008 financial crisis might never have occurred. The reason is that if decision-making bodies do not have an equal number of women, an overrepresentation of men may lead to <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/pdf/10.1073/pnas.0704025105">aggressive and overcompetitive behavior</a>. Given the global damage left behind by the financial crisis, a leadership of “brothers and sisters” has become a benchmark for organisations.</p>
<p>A more recent example is the Covid-19 pandemic. A 2021 study on 194 countries found that in the first quarter of the crisis, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13545701.2021.1874614">countries led by women experienced better outcomes</a> because they tended to impose lockdowns significantly earlier than male leaders did. This is in line with women’s being more risk-averse than men, even when they are in leadership positions. <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2012520117">Evidence also suggests</a> that women were more likely to perceive Covid-19 as a serious health problem, to agree with restraining public policy measures, and to comply with them.</p>
<h2>Shifting cultural stereotypes</h2>
<p>A major obstacle to gender-balanced leadership positions are well-established stereotypes. There is a general consensus that gender gaps are a matter of culture, and because culture changes slowly, policies and measures can accelerate the reduction of gender gaps, but we will need time to see real changes. How to measure gender culture and how to assess the progress is difficult. Scholars use data from the <a href="https://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/">World Value Survey</a> to measure gender stereotypes.</p>
<p>These data show that explicit stereotypes have been declining over time, although differences across countries within Europe are still substantial. For example, the statement “Men are better business leaders than women” was approved by 15,8% of Italian citizens, yet only 4.6% of Swedes. Yet implicit stereotypes are everywhere stronger than explicit ones.</p>
<p>Recent research shows that implicit stereotypes, as measured by the <a href="https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/">Implicit Association Test</a> on gender and career, are well established in the workplace: for example, people tend to associate women with family and men with careers. Managers who make hiring and promotion decisions are found to share such stereotypes, similar to rates in the general population. How to counter and diminish them is a more complicated task, but an important one to reduce gender gaps in the workplace.</p>
<p>A clear successful policy which has promoted women’s presence in the workplace in Europe is childcare. Day-care services are not only important for child development, but they also help families with small children – and in particular women – to deal with their professional and personal life. How to see this policy implemented? We could start by having more women in leadership positions as politicians and in top business places, as suggested by results of the research at the AXA Research Lab on Gender Equality.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/310261/original/file-20200115-134768-1tax26b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/310261/original/file-20200115-134768-1tax26b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=158&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/310261/original/file-20200115-134768-1tax26b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=158&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/310261/original/file-20200115-134768-1tax26b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=158&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/310261/original/file-20200115-134768-1tax26b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=198&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/310261/original/file-20200115-134768-1tax26b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=198&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/310261/original/file-20200115-134768-1tax26b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=198&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><em>Created in 2007 to help accelerate and share scientific knowledge on key societal issues, the AXA Research Fund has supported nearly 700 projects around the world conducted by researchers in 38 countries. To learn more, visit the site of the AXA Research Fund or follow on Twitter @AXAResearchFund.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/194405/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Paola Profeta ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d'une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n'a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche.</span></em></p>Women are still underrepresented in decision-making positions, yet research shows that gender equality can lead to more qualified leaders and better outcomes.Paola Profeta, Director of Axa Research Lab on Gender Equality, AXA Fonds pour la RechercheLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1505992020-12-01T16:12:44Z2020-12-01T16:12:44ZThe world needs more women leaders — during COVID-19 and beyond<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/372096/original/file-20201130-23-ct3x5o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C309%2C5588%2C3321&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">United States Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris speaks on Nov. 24, 2020, in Wilmington, Del.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>With the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic top of mind for most of our leaders, economic recovery plans are being studied and analyzed by researchers.</p>
<p>As with any plan, success hinges on certain conditions being put in place. The one we consider most important is the gender balance in positions of power and influence within our societies. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.inc.com/shama-hyder/the-hidden-advantage-of-women-in-leadership.html">Gender parity leads to collaboration</a> and a blending of visions, and paves the way for the adoption of more comprehensive and inclusive solutions than if they’re conceived from only one perspective. </p>
<p>A recent study that looked at the performance of 194 countries in their fight against COVID-19 found that women-led countries were <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3617953">generally more successful in fighting the pandemic than those led by men</a>. However, it’s worth noting that there was already a balanced representation of both sexes in the countries’ key roles of power and influence, suggesting that leadership environments with gender parity lead to healthier, stronger and more consensual decisions. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-women-leaders-are-excelling-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic-138098">Why women leaders are excelling during the coronavirus pandemic</a>
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</em>
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<h2>Male characteristics</h2>
<p>Leadership has historically been defined in terms of the stereotypes that characterize men in power: rationality, pragmatism, hierarchy and a focus on short-term outcomes. This helps explain why the legitimacy of power is more associated with men, as revealed by the <a href="https://reykjavikforum.global/community/reykjavik-index-for-leadership/">Reykjavik Leadership Index</a>. </p>
<p>The index, launched in 2018, helps measure perceptions of women in power in 11 different countries, including all G7 countries. It assesses the perceived legitimacy of male and female leadership in different positions of power, and it shows there are still unfortunately large disparities. </p>
<p>Now to ask the tough question: Is leadership gendered? In other words, do gender prejudices about leadership lead to harsh judgments from society?</p>
<p>To quote a 2019 research article one of us co-authored entitled “<a href="http://www.iamb.org/ijmb/journals/vol_10/IJMB_Vol_10_1%20Applebaum.pdf">Women as Leaders: The More Things Change, the More It’s the Same Thing</a>”: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Women and men remain categorized according to their sexual roles; women have community behaviours and men have so-called self-determination or individualistic behaviours. The … leadership style attributed to men is considered normal and acceptable, but when women seek to make it theirs by displaying characteristics such as assertiveness, tenacity and competitiveness, they no longer fit the stereotypical definition that has been devolved to them.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>We believe it’s time to revise the definition of leadership <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/01437739310047010">to make it more multi-dimensional</a> by expanding the list of qualities it should include while understanding that leadership is expressed differently depending on the challenges and needs of different organizations. </p>
<h2>More compassionate leadership</h2>
<p>We advocate for a leadership style that is more consensus-building, caring, more open and inclusive and more likely to encourage participation by others. When women join leadership teams, <a href="https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2018/09/20/2-views-on-leadership-traits-and-competencies-and-how-they-intersect-with-gender/">there is an increase in leadership qualities like empathy</a>, compassion, communication and collaboration that become part of the DNA of those organizations. </p>
<p>Recent research has concluded that even alpha male subordinates prefer and prosper under a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/GM-07-2020-0222">leadership style with more feminine characteristics</a>.</p>
<p>There are advantages to a multi-dimensional leadership style, in particular during difficult times like the ones we’re experiencing now. Employees are looking at their leaders for inspiration and reassurance. They need to be listened to and they expect the leadership team <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/overcoming-pandemic-fatigue-how-to-reenergize-organizations-for-the-long-run?cid=other-eml-alt-mip-mck&hdpid=13718c68-cd8b-4904-9a72-fa1587b976e6&hctky=10281925&hlkid=6ce5b99c9ae84f03a853611ca47a0343">to pay attention to signs of exhaustion and provide support to those who need it</a>. </p>
<p>Time will tell if a gender-neutral leadership style exists and is successful since there’s not an equal number of women and men in leadership roles.</p>
<p>A quick look at the Canadian business community shows the various difficulties faced by women that create barriers for them to access these leadership roles: biases, stereotypes, work-life balance, absences due to motherhood and corporate policies ill-suited to <a href="https://wiw-report.s3.amazonaws.com/Women_in_the_Workplace_2020.pdf">the realities of women’s lives</a>. </p>
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<img alt="Justin Trudeau sits on a panel with women." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/372098/original/file-20201130-19-14oe4zx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/372098/original/file-20201130-19-14oe4zx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=356&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/372098/original/file-20201130-19-14oe4zx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=356&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/372098/original/file-20201130-19-14oe4zx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=356&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/372098/original/file-20201130-19-14oe4zx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=447&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/372098/original/file-20201130-19-14oe4zx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=447&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/372098/original/file-20201130-19-14oe4zx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=447&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Prime Minister Justin Trudeau takes part in a Women One roundtable discussion at the Case Foundation in Washington, D.C. in October 2017 delving into the barriers women face in reaching leadership positions.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick</span></span>
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<p>All of this means that very few women reach the highest levels of our organizations. Only four per cent of president and CEO positions are held by women and <a href="https://fcnb.ca/sites/default/files/inline-files/58-311-CSAN-2019-10-02-F.pdf">none of them hold this position among the TSX60 companies</a>. The situation is even more dismal for <a href="https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/black-leaders-are-nearly-non-existent-on-canadian-boards-according-to-ryerson-s-diversity-institute-s-new-study-of-canadian-board-diversity-865341357.html">racialized people</a>.</p>
<h2>Achieving full potential</h2>
<p>We strongly believe that everyone, men and women, should be able to achieve their greatest potential. Women need to know early on in their lives that they can be leaders and should not limit themselves. Kamala Harris, the newly elected vice-president of the United States, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kimelsesser/2020/11/09/the-harris-effect-research-suggests-five-ways-that-the-vp-could-shape-future-generations">said on election night</a>: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities.” </p>
</blockquote>
<p>We have yet to see what the “Harris effect” will be, but previous research has suggested having positive role models leads to some powerful outcomes, particularly for women and women of colour.</p>
<p>The challenges of the 21st century — climate change, health, the environment, depletion of global resources, an aging population, talent development, social inequities, telecommuting, new technologies and so on — require a new multi-dimensional style of leadership, because the challenges ahead of us require the contributions of everyone. </p>
<p>We advocate for a leadership model that incorporates the skills, intelligence and talents of all in order to tackle these challenges.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/150599/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Gender parity leads to collaboration and a blending of visions, and paves the way for the adoption of more comprehensive and inclusive solutions than if they’re conceived from only one perspective.Louise Champoux-Paillé, Cadre en exercice John Molson School of Business Concordia, Concordia UniversityAnne-Marie Croteau, Dean, John Molson School of Business, Concordia UniversitySteven H. Appelbaum, Professor of Management, Concordia UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1499862020-11-18T18:54:59Z2020-11-18T18:54:59ZThere’s a big problem with the Murdoch media no one is talking about — how it treats women leaders<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/369933/original/file-20201118-15-nhiwpz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Ben McKay/AAP</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp has long dominated the Australian media landscape, wielding great <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mitchell_Hobbs/publication/269710349_'Kick_this_mob_out'_The_Murdoch_media_and_the_Australian_Labor_Government_2007_to_2013/links/5494b4230cf20f487d2c4715.pdf">political and cultural influence</a>. </p>
<p>Former prime minister Kevin Rudd’s <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/petition_list?id=EN1938">record-breaking petition</a> calling for a royal commission into Australian media ownership has once again put this issue in the spotlight. It has gained more than <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-09/media-diversity-petition-started-by-kevin-rudd-lodged-parliament/12863982">500,000 signatures</a> and led to a <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/senate-votes-to-hold-media-diversity-inquiry-after-record-breaking-murdoch-petition">Senate inquiry</a> into media diversity. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/paper-chase-why-kevin-rudds-call-for-a-royal-commission-into-news-corp-may-lead-nowhere-147996">Paper chase: why Kevin Rudd's call for a royal commission into News Corp may lead nowhere</a>
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<p>Rudd has described News Corp as a “<a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/cancer-on-our-democracy-kevin-rudd-calls-for-inquiry-into-murdoch-media-dominance">cancer on democracy</a>”, while fellow former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has labelled it “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2020/nov/10/qa-malcolm-turnbull-clashes-with-news-corps-paul-kelly-over-climate-coverage">pure propaganda</a>,” and slammed its “campaign on climate denial”. Labor’s Julia Gillard, has also made <a href="https://www.afr.com/companies/media-and-marketing/julia-gillard-blasts-biased-murdoch-news-corp-20141028-11ctmj">similar claims</a>. </p>
<p>However, these discussions fail to consider how the Murdoch press is particularly hostile towards women politicians.</p>
<h2>How does the Murdoch press represent women?</h2>
<p>While <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/media-gender-stereotypes-worse-for-gillard-than-for-thatcher/11996326">studying media representations</a> of women in politics, I’ve noticed a stark difference in Murdoch press coverage of men and women leaders.</p>
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<img alt="Former Prime Minister Julia Gillard leaving a press conference at Parliament House." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/369927/original/file-20201118-17-i2f244.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/369927/original/file-20201118-17-i2f244.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/369927/original/file-20201118-17-i2f244.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/369927/original/file-20201118-17-i2f244.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/369927/original/file-20201118-17-i2f244.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/369927/original/file-20201118-17-i2f244.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/369927/original/file-20201118-17-i2f244.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">There is a difference in the way male and female leaders are represented in News Corp papers.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Lukas Coch/AAP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>My research, recently published in <a href="https://t.co/0OdPkrP4NL?amp=1">Feminist Media Studies</a>, compared Australian media portrayals of Gillard’s prime ministerial rise with that of Helen Clark’s in New Zealand. Both leaders experienced a sexist focus on their gender, appearance and personal lives. But it was far more frequent and intense for Gillard. </p>
<p>My research suggests two key explanations for this contrast: the different political contexts they operated in, and the dominating influence of the Murdoch press in Australia versus its absence in New Zealand. </p>
<p>As Rudd has argued, the Murdoch press is hyper-partisan and ideologically driven, “<a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/how-much-influence-does-the-murdoch-media-have-in-australia-20201015-p565dk.html">blending editorial opinion with news reporting</a>”. News Corp is also known to reward Murdoch’s allies, while <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/sep/20/very-australian-coup-murdoch-turnbull-political-death-news-corps">damaging his enemies</a>. </p>
<p>Yet this has notably gendered ramifications. Murdoch’s conservative morality, traditionalist values, and opposition to left-wing movements appear constantly in his newspapers, making them uniquely hostile to women. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/courting-the-chameleon-how-the-us-election-reveals-rupert-murdochs-political-colours-149910">Courting the chameleon: how the US election reveals Rupert Murdoch's political colours</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<p>Gillard did not simply threaten the political status quo as Australia’s first woman prime minister. As an unmarried, child-free, atheist woman from the left of the ALP, she also threatened Murdoch’s conservative ideology. His newspaper therefore portrayed Gillard in a highly gendered — even misogynistic — manner <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10361146.2017.1374347">intended to undermine</a> her. This was evident in the criticisms of her fashion choices, such as a headline condemning her “technicolour screamcoat” in The Daily Telegraph.</p>
<h2>Things have not changed since Gillard’s days</h2>
<p>Though it’s been ten years since Gillard became prime minister, not much has changed. News Corp papers continue to attack women in politics, especially if they are from the left. </p>
<p>Queensland Labor Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is another seasoned veteran of News Corps’ sexist coverage. This includes the Sunshine Coast Daily’s 2019 <a href="https://theconversation.com/queensland-paper-backtracks-after-using-violent-imagery-to-depict-annastacia-palaszczuk-117501">front page image</a>, which featured Palaszczuk in crosshairs with the headline, “Anna, you’re next”. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1130361877316263936"}"></div></p>
<p>More recently, <a href="https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/is-palaszczuk-now-punishing-sydneysiders-over-a-personal-gripe-she-has-with-gladys/news-story/658631747c9158d544f637076cbbcac1">The Courier Mail</a> labelled her dealings with Liberal NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian over border closures, “schoolgirl behaviour”. </p>
<p>Even Liberal women aren’t immune from sexist coverage. Julie Bishop, the Coalition’s former foreign affairs minister, was likened to the power-hungry “Lady Macbeth” by <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/nation/to-be-or-not-to-be-julie-lady-macbeth-bishop-is-the-voters-pick/news-story/3a7fad34421e5d4d325a23d7f3512ae3">The Australian</a> for her 2018 leadership tilt. She was also <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/opinion/libs-would-never-have-looked-to-starstruck-bishop/news-story/fa44f51f9aa63cbf36743fac9996d102">ridiculed</a> by the same paper for calling out the Liberal party’s sexist bullying culture.</p>
<p>Berejiklian has also endured sexist reportage, particularly during the recent scandal over her relationship with disgraced former NSW MP Daryl Maguire. One <a href="https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/premier-gladys-berejiklians-wedding-fantasy-defies-laws-of-blokespeak/news-story/10ada392f2091ec28b114395c1efe87b">Daily Telegraph</a> article waxed lyrical about her supposed “wedding fantasy”, a “feminine albeit old-fashioned thing to do” which, they argued, might have kept a workaholic like Berejiiklian “sane”. </p>
<p>However, the News Corp’s partisan bias towards the Coalition is also evident in these stories. Rather than holding Berejiklian to account, the Murdoch press largely ran <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/inquirer/why-berejiklian-should-stand-firm-in-this-sad-icac-affair/news-story/140cd04fd2b5a57a287bd991612535c0">sympathetic stories</a> about the premier’s behaviour. This starkly contrasts with the onslaught of sexist coverage Gillard received during the <a href="https://theconversation.com/awu-scandal-says-more-about-the-medias-ethics-than-the-pms-11035">AWU affair</a>, which haunted her for the rest of her term in office.</p>
<h2>International leaders also under attack</h2>
<p>Australian women aren’t the only targets. The <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/10/16/jacindamania-set-to-return-jacinda-ardern-as-new-zealand-pm">globally popular</a> New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has frequently borne the brunt of biased News Corp coverage. </p>
<p>In the lead up to the 2020 New Zealand election, columnist Greg Sheridan argued Ardern doesn’t live up to the hype, <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/jacinda-ardern-goes-global-but-kiwis-pay-the-price/news-story/97286e9e9a8ec08d1dd40dddfcd573d6">claiming</a> in The Australian,</p>
<blockquote>
<p>part of the international Jacindamania comes from the fact she is a young left-wing woman who gave birth in office and took maternity leave.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Sheridan also labelled her government’s COVID-19 response and progressive style of politics as “inherently authoritarian” that also “enjoys bossing people around”. </p>
<p>When Ardern won the election in a historic landslide, The Australian <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/danger-across-the-ditch-as-incompetent-leader-ardern-wins-office/news-story/6dfed9819cbe1334602cbc240dfe1b7f">responded with a piece</a> describing her as “grossly incompetent” and “the worst person to lead New Zealand through this economic turbulence”. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1317942066379280384"}"></div></p>
<p>Notably, the clear bias here drew criticism from the <a href="https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2020/10/disgraceful-australian-columnist-slammed-for-calling-jacinda-ardern-grossly-incompetent.html">New Zealand press</a>. </p>
<p>In August, Johannes Leak’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-australians-racist-kamala-harris-cartoon-shows-why-diversity-in-newsrooms-matters-144503">cartoon</a> in The Australian, also received <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/17/business/media/murdoch-racism-kamala-harris.html">international condemnation</a> for its misogynistic and racist depiction of vice-presidential nominee Kamala Harris. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1294078231197310976"}"></div></p>
<h2>Don’t forget gender</h2>
<p>It is clear the Murdoch press has a “woman problem”. </p>
<p>This poses a real obstacle for women in politics, especially those who oppose Murdoch’s conservative ideology. But it also broadcasts a message about women’s roles and place in society more generally — that no matter how privileged or powerful a woman might be, it’s nearly impossible to escape sexist commentary and the objectifying male gaze.</p>
<p>This is why it is so essential to hold the Murdoch press to account in a specifically gendered light.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/149986/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Blair Williams does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>There is a renewed discussion about the role of News Corp in Australia. But so far, this is ignoring how the Murdoch press is particularly hostile towards female politicians.Blair Williams, Associate Lecturer, School of Political Science and International Relations, Australian National UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1447792020-08-26T12:22:00Z2020-08-26T12:22:00ZThe tech field failed a 25-year challenge to achieve gender equality by 2020 – culture change is key to getting on track<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354705/original/file-20200825-15-h7v84m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C16%2C5499%2C3630&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The tech field has a long way to go to achieve gender parity.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/people-working-in-modern-office-royalty-free-image/878980536?adppopup=true">10'000 Hours/DigitalVision via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In 1995, pioneering computer scientist <a href="https://anitab.org/about-us/about-anita-borg/">Anita Borg</a> challenged the tech community to a moonshot: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nImg8vPUe4">equal representation of women in tech by 2020</a>. Twenty-five years later, we’re still far from that goal. In 2018, fewer than 30% of the <a href="https://www.vox.com/2018/4/11/17225574/facebook-tech-diversity-women">employees in tech’s biggest companies</a> and 20% of <a href="https://research.swe.org/2016/08/tenure-tenure-track-faculty-levels/">faculty in university computer science departments</a> were women.</p>
<p>On <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_Equality_Day">Women’s Equality Day</a> in 2020, it’s appropriate to revisit Borg’s moonshot challenge. Today, awareness of the gender diversity problem in tech has increased, and professional development programs have improved women’s skills and opportunities. But special programs and “<a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/features/2011/01/fix-system-not-women">fixing women</a>” by improving their skills have not been enough. By and large, the tech field doesn’t need to fix women, it needs to fix itself.</p>
<p>As <a href="https://www.amacad.org/person/francine-d-berman">former head</a> of a national supercomputer center and a data scientist, I know that cultural change is hard but not impossible. It requires organizations to prioritize and promote material, not symbolic, change. It requires sustained effort and shifts of power to include more diverse players. Intentional strategies to promote openness, ensure equity, diversify leadership and measure success can work. I’ve seen it happen. </p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3nImg8vPUe4?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">In 1995, Anita Borg called for a “moonshot” effort to achieve gender equality in the tech field by 2020.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Swimming upstream</h2>
<p>I loved math as a kid. I loved finding elegant solutions to abstract problems. I loved learning that <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%B6bius_strip">Mobius strips</a> have only one side and that there is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantor%27s_first_set_theory_article">more than one size of infinity</a>. I was a math major in college and eventually found a home in computer science in graduate school. </p>
<p>But as a professional, I’ve seen that tech is skewed by currents that carry men to success and hold women back. In academic computer science departments, women are usually a small minority. </p>
<p>In most organizations I have dealt with, women rarely occupy the top job. From 2001 to 2009, I led a National Science Foundation supercomputer center. Ten years after moving on from that job, I’m still the only woman to have occupied that position. </p>
<p>Several years into my term, I discovered that I was paid one-third less than others with similar positions. Successfully lobbying for pay equity with my peers took almost a year and a sincere threat to step down from a job I loved. In the work world, money implies value, and no one wants to be paid less than their peers.</p>
<h2>Changing culture takes persistence</h2>
<p>Culture impacts outcomes. During my term as a supercomputer center head, each center needed to procure the biggest, baddest machine in order to get the bragging rights – and resources – necessary to continue. Supercomputer culture in those days was hypercompetitive and focused on dominance of Supercomputing’s <a href="https://www.top500.org/">Top500 ranking</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A climate-controlled room containing banks of computer processors" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354737/original/file-20200825-20-890vmb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354737/original/file-20200825-20-890vmb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=355&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354737/original/file-20200825-20-890vmb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=355&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354737/original/file-20200825-20-890vmb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=355&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354737/original/file-20200825-20-890vmb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=446&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354737/original/file-20200825-20-890vmb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=446&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354737/original/file-20200825-20-890vmb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=446&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Supercomputer centers typically involve lots of hardware like these banks of computer processors.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasa_goddard/6559334541/">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In this environment, women in leadership were unusual and there was more for women to prove, and quickly, if we wanted to get something done. The field’s focus on dominance was reflected in organizational culture. </p>
<p>My team and I set out to change that. Our efforts to include a broader range of styles and skill sets ultimately changed the composition of our center’s leadership and management. Improving the organizational culture also translated into a richer set of projects and collaborations. It helped us expand our focus to infrastructure and users and embrace the data revolution early on. </p>
<p>[<em><a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/the-daily-3?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=experts">Expertise in your inbox. Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter and get expert takes on today’s news, every day.</a></em>]</p>
<h2>Setting the stage for cultural diversity</h2>
<p>Diverse leadership is a critical part of creating diverse cultures. Women are <a href="https://hbr.org/2013/09/women-rising-the-unseen-barriers">more likely to thrive</a> in environments where they have not only stature, but responsibility, resources, influence, opportunity and power. </p>
<p>I’ve seen this firsthand as a co-founder of the <a href="https://www.rd-alliance.org/">Research Data Alliance (RDA)</a>, an international community organization of more than 10,000 members that has developed and deployed infrastructure to facilitate data sharing and data-driven research. From the beginning, gender balance has been a major priority for RDA, and as we grew, a reality in all leadership groups in the organization. </p>
<p>RDA’s plenaries also provide a model for diverse organizational meetings in which speaker lineups are expected to include both women and men, and all-male panels, nicknamed “manels,” are strongly discouraged. Women both lead and thrive in this community.</p>
<p>Having women at the table makes a difference. As a board member of the <a href="https://sloan.org/">Alfred P. Sloan Foundation</a>, I’ve seen the organization improve the diversity of annual classes of fellows in the highly prestigious <a href="https://sloan.org/fellowships/">Sloan Research Fellows’</a> program. To date, 50 Nobel Prize winners and many professional award winners are former Sloan Research Fellows.</p>
<p>Since 2013, the accomplished community members Sloan has chosen for its Fellowship Selection Committees have been half or more women. During that time, the diversity of Sloan’s research fellowship applicant pool and awardees have increased, with no loss of quality.</p>
<h2>Calming cultural currents</h2>
<p>Culture change is a marathon, not a sprint, requiring constant vigilance, many small decisions, and often changes in who holds power. My experience as supercomputer center head, and with the Research Data Alliance, the Sloan Foundation and other groups has shown me that organizations can create positive and more diverse environments. Intentional strategies, prioritization and persistent commitment to cultural change can help turn the tide.</p>
<p>Some years ago, one of my best computer science students told me that she was not interested in a tech career because it was so hard for women to get ahead. Cultures that foster diversity can change perceptions of what jobs women can thrive in, and can attract, rather than repel, women to study and work in tech. </p>
<p>Calming the cultural currents that hold so many women back can move the tech field closer to Borg’s goal of equal representation in the future. It’s much better to be late than never.</p>
<p><em>The Sloan Foundation has provided funding to The Conversation US.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/144779/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Francine Berman is former Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Anita Borg Institute. She currently serves as a member of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Board of Trustees. She is funded by the National Science Foundation.</span></em></p>Diversifying leadership can change organizational cultures, which removes barriers to women in the tech industry and academia.Francine Berman, Hamilton Distinguished Professor of Computer Science, Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1296802020-01-09T22:22:53Z2020-01-09T22:22:53ZThe immortal – and false – myth of the workplace Queen Bee<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/309360/original/file-20200109-80116-aeaat.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=211%2C0%2C4225%2C2436&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The Queen Bee myth has more to do with how companies are structured than it does with women actually undermining one another at work.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Cat fights, mean girls, Queen Bees. </p>
<p>We’ve all heard these terms stemming from a popular belief that women don’t help other women, or indeed actively undermine them. </p>
<p>Women leaders are often portrayed in popular culture as suffering from Queen Bee Syndrome (think <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/on-leadership/wp/2015/06/09/the-idea-of-queen-bee-female-executives-is-losing-its-sting/">Miranda Priestly in <em>The Devil Wears Prada</em>)</a>. The media is filled with advice about “<a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/story/what-to-do-if-you-work-for-a-queen-bee-2018-08-06">what to do if you work for a Queen Bee</a>.”</p>
<p>But what if the Queen Bee isn’t real? Or at least she’s sorely misunderstood?</p>
<p>Gendered differences in expectations make us see Queen Bees when they aren’t really there.</p>
<p>Looking across a wide range of studies, there is no evidence that senior women are less helpful (or more harmful) to junior women than senior men are to junior men. Studies find <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167217695551">little evidence that women are more competitive</a> towards other women than men are towards other men. And women and men do <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/147470490900700201">not differ in their use of aggression</a>. Indeed, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/681960">having a female manager</a> is, with few exceptions, either positive or neutral on women’s rates of promotions and wages.</p>
<h2>Women expected to be helpful, warm</h2>
<p>So why do people believe that Queen Bees are so prevalent? The answer has to do with our expectations of leaders. Because women are expected to be helpful and warm, people perceive women who take on leadership roles more negatively. So even if women leaders aren’t behaving any differently than men, they will be seen as unsupportive because of the double standards women face. </p>
<p>Demanding male managers are seen as strong leaders, while women don’t get the same credit. And when conflicts arise at work, as they often do, clashes between two women are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0149206314539348">seen as much more problematic</a> by others in the organization than those between men.</p>
<p>It’s assumed that women should align themselves with other women no matter what. As former U.S. Secretary of State <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/13/opinion/madeleine-albright-my-undiplomatic-moment.html">Madeline Albright said</a>: “There’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help each other.” </p>
<p>In corporations, we expect senior women to take on responsibilities for championing other women in management, heading up women’s leadership committees and, in general, doing the organization’s heavy lifting when it comes to increasing diversity. </p>
<p>This is, however, a lot of extra (and undervalued) work that is not expected of their male peers. If a woman chooses not to take on these roles, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8551.2008.00573.x">she may be labelled a Queen Bee</a>, while men who don’t do diversity work are not.</p>
<h2>Marginalization is the culprit</h2>
<p>If women do behave like Queen Bees sometimes, why is that?</p>
<p>Sometimes we observe that women don’t advocate for other women in their organizations. Experimental evidence shows that this is not about being a prima donna, but instead a product of what scholars call “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1100.0565">value threat</a>.” </p>
<p>Value threats occur when there are negative stereotypes of women in highly masculinized workplaces. Women who do manage to “make it” must constantly fight these negative stereotypes in order to hold onto their own positions in the organization. Their concern about whether they are valued at work may shape their willingness to assist other women. Women <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2011.05.009">might not support other women</a> if there is any question about these women’s qualifications, because they don’t want to do anything that might fuel the negative stereotypes.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/309348/original/file-20200109-80116-b7gr9e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/309348/original/file-20200109-80116-b7gr9e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/309348/original/file-20200109-80116-b7gr9e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/309348/original/file-20200109-80116-b7gr9e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/309348/original/file-20200109-80116-b7gr9e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/309348/original/file-20200109-80116-b7gr9e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/309348/original/file-20200109-80116-b7gr9e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Women may be more willing to help other women if they have confidence in their qualifications and skills, particularly in a highly masculinized workplace.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In this context, there are often few opportunities open to women — “implicit quotas” that limit chances for leadership roles. One study of 1,500 firms showed that <a href="https://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/news/ras-spring-2015/dezso">once a company appointed a woman to a top leadership role, the chance that a second woman would join the leadership ranks dropped by 50 per cent</a>. </p>
<p>Another study of corporate boards showed companies <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2018/11/03/twokenism-is-new-tokenism/">seemed to be gaming the system</a>: appointing two — but no more than two — women to their boards, a phenomenon the researchers called “twokenism.” </p>
<p>As a result, women may not support other highly qualified women because they know they’ll be competing for the same small number of opportunities. Our conclusion: being a Queen Bee is not an intrinsically female behaviour but instead a <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2016-03099-001">reaction to marginalization</a>.</p>
<p>Again, it’s the context that matters. In studies of networks inside organizations, women were <a href="https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2017.1137">more likely than men to cite a woman as a source of difficult work relationships</a>, but this propensity was lower for women with more women in their social support network. Similarly, an <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2015.12.007">experiment with women police officers</a> found that women who identified closely with their gender actually responded to gender bias with increased motivation to help other women, while those who were less gender-identified were more likely to exhibit Queen Bee responses.</p>
<p>Women may be seen as Queen Bees when in fact the organizational context is the origin of the behaviour. When organizations are not inclusive, women are more likely to experience value threat and therefore more likely to avoid supporting other women.</p>
<h2>No male equivalent to Queen Bee</h2>
<p>Beyond the evidence against the Queen Bee myth, the mere existence of the term is part of the problem. If men are as likely to be competitive with other men as women are with other women, then gendered terms such as Queen Bee are sexist. </p>
<p>In this regard, language matters. Calling women Queen Bees is its own form of devaluation, with its impact on the denigration and marginalization of women in leadership. </p>
<p>At a time when corporations are struggling to address gender gaps at all levels, killing off stereotyped myths such as the Queen Bee Syndrome is essential.</p>
<p>The Queen Bee is dead! Long live women leaders!</p>
<p>[ <em>You’re smart and curious about the world. So are The Conversation’s authors and editors.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/ca/newsletters?utm_source=TCCA&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=youresmart">You can read us daily by subscribing to our newsletter</a>. ]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/129680/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sarah Kaplan receives funding from the Canadian Minister of Small Business and Export Promotion through the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Isabel Fernandez-Mateo does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>At a time when corporations are struggling to address gender gaps at all levels, killing off stereotyped myths such as the Queen Bee Syndrome is essential.Isabel Fernandez-Mateo, Adecco Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship, London Business SchoolSarah Kaplan, Professor, Strategic Management, Rotman School of Management; Director, Institute for Gender and the Economy, University of TorontoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1166432019-06-04T12:41:54Z2019-06-04T12:41:54ZThe war on women coaches<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/276387/original/file-20190524-187169-qzx95h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Former Georgia Tech head coach MaChelle Joseph looks on during an NCAA college basketball game against Notre Dame in February 2019.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Georgia-Tech-Notre-Dame-Basketball/fe87198e16ee48bf86a1dabe1ee2c938/5/0">AP Photo/Robert Franklin</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>During the past women’s college basketball season, two prominent head coaches, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill’s Sylvia Hatchell and Georgia Tech’s MaChelle Joseph, were fired.</p>
<p>In Joseph’s case, her players had accused her of <a href="https://www.ajc.com/sports/college/machelle-joseph-fired-georgia-tech/hH8W6QvPduR8ItGgzXvQ4N/">being abusive, demeaning and manipulative</a>. Hatchell’s players claimed she had <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/they-make-me-sick-unc-womens-hoops-coach-berated-injured-players-parents-say/2019/04/18/7259c7c0-6146-11e9-9412-daf3d2e67c6d_story.html?utm_term=.aab4017064b1">berated them, made racially insensitive remarks and forced them to play through injuries</a>.</p>
<p>We don’t want to litigate, refute or deny the claims against Hatchell, Joseph and countless other female coaches. But it’s not difficult to imagine a male coach with a similar style being called “tough,” “demanding” and “passionate.”</p>
<p>As social scientists who study <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Women-in-Sports-Coaching/LaVoi/p/book/9781138837966">coaching</a> and <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Women-in-Sport-Leadership-Research-and-practice-for-change/Burton-Leberman/p/book/9780367233259">leadership in sport</a>, we’re starting to see a double standard at play – one that holds female coaches to a different standard than their male counterparts.</p>
<p>We think it might help explain why the percentage of collegiate women head coaches is stagnant and near an all-time low.</p>
<h2>Dwindling numbers over the decades</h2>
<p>In 1972, <a href="https://www.justice.gov/crt/overview-title-ix-education-amendments-1972-20-usc-1681-et-seq">Title IX</a>, a federal civil rights law which made gender discrimination in schools illegal, was passed. It led to record numbers of girls and women playing sports at all levels. But an unintended effect was that, over time, women started to hold a smaller share of sport leadership positions.</p>
<p>According to the <a href="https://www.cehd.umn.edu/tuckercenter/">Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport</a> at the University of Minnesota, the percentage of female coaches <a href="https://www.cehd.umn.edu/tuckercenter/research/womencoaches.html">has steadily fallen</a> since the passage of Title IX. In 1972, more than 90% of female collegiate athletes were coached by women. Today that number hovers around 42% at the NCAA Division I level.</p>
<p>After Title IX required schools to allocate more resources for women’s sports, male coaches started to see coaching female athletes as a legitimate career path. Today men occupy <a href="https://www.tidesport.org/copy-of-nba-1">nearly 75%</a> of all head coaching positions in collegiate athletics.</p>
<h2>A shorter leash?</h2>
<p>Hatchell and Joseph’s experiences are not isolated ones. </p>
<p>In recent years, a number of collegiate women coaches have encountered challenges to their coaching behaviors, integrity, character and job security, some high profile, many not. In 2014, University of Minnesota-Duluth women’s hockey head coach Shannon Miller <a href="http://www.citypages.com/news/shannon-miller-discrimination-victim-or-an-overpaid-college-coach/476952703">didn’t have her contract renewed</a> despite multiple national championships, high graduation rates and no NCAA violations. Miller sued for gender discrimination <a href="https://www.mprnews.org/story/2018/03/15/minnesota-duluth-hockey-shannon-miller-wins-lawsuit">and won more than US$3 million in damages</a>.</p>
<p>In the wake of allegations of abuse, a few female coaches have been able <a href="https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2019/05/09/nku-keeps-womens-basketball-coach-players-emotional-abuse-allegations/1154469001/">to keep their jobs</a>. Some win <a href="https://www.hawkcentral.com/story/sports/college/iowa/2017/05/19/tracey-griesbaum-iowa-hawkeye-gary-barta-settlement/333218001/">court cases</a> against the <a href="https://www.superiortelegram.com/news/crime-and-courts/4570673-damage-verdict-increases-421-million-former-minnesota-duluth-hockey">university</a>. But many end up simply leaving their positions in the hopes of landing another coaching job at a different school. </p>
<p>Most of these women are <a href="https://www.thefearlesscoach.org/single-post/2019/02/12/Second-Chances-in-NCAA-Coaching-Women-Need-Not-Apply">not rehired</a>; if they are, it’s not at the <a href="http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211660312">same level</a> or <a href="https://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/college/louisville/2017/11/02/shes-had-30-years-college-coaching-under-her-belt-beth-burns-joins-louisville-womens-basketball-staf/827144001/">position</a>. For example, Tracey Greisbaum, a highly successful former head field hockey coach at the University of Iowa, was fired after athlete allegations of harassment and mistreatment. She subsequently won a $1.5 million lawsuit for gender discrimination. But she’s now a volunteer coach for Duke University. </p>
<p>Male coaches also get accused of abuse, and some <a href="https://theconversation.com/dj-durkins-firing-wont-solve-college-footballs-deepest-problems-106118">do get fired</a>, like Maryland college football coach D.J. Durkin, who was fired in October 2018 after one of his players died after practice.</p>
<p>But many that <a href="http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/26334855/msu-players-defend-izzo-screaming-incident">exhibit behaviors</a> their female colleagues are fired for remain employed or quickly get hired for head coaching gigs at other schools. The most prominent example of the return to coaching is former Indiana men’s basketball coach Bobby Knight, who was fired in 2000 <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fm3YFFjj5y8">after choking a player in practice</a>. In 2001, Knight was hired as the head coach at Texas Tech. </p>
<p>On the women’s side, University of Illinois head women’s basketball coach Matt Bollant <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaw/2017/03/14/illinois-fires-womens-coach-sued-for-abuse-2-years-ago/99175158/">was sued by players</a> who claimed he had created a racially abusive environment. Bollant was fired in 2017, <a href="https://eiupanthers.com/news/2017/4/14/womens-basketball-matt-bollant-to-lead-eiu-womens-basketball.aspx">only to be quickly hired</a> as the head coach at Eastern Illinois University. </p>
<h2>When women don’t behave as expected</h2>
<p>What might explain the differential treatment?</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-6402.t01-1-00066">Due to gender stereotypes</a>, we expect women be more nurturing, caring, supportive and relationship-oriented. We expect men, on the other hand, to be assertive, independent and <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1471-6402.t01-1-00066?casa_token=8fCuMYSsJowAAAAA:SrgRFNG5WFfRWbtIzcAevpXjMH3VW1oQy-tlVHAfDfNpHlPRI1awtIA7uEFSTOFCw4kM5kdp-XDBiw">dominant</a>. </p>
<p>Then there are behaviors we expect each gender to avoid. For men, this includes signs of weakness, like insecurity or sensitivity. Women, on the other hand, aren’t supposed to be aggressive or intimidating. </p>
<p>Studies show that when women exhibit dominant behavior or men appear to be weak, <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2015-56707-001">people tend to react negatively</a>. </p>
<p>But the backlash isn’t evenly distributed: <a href="https://spssi.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/josi.12261">Research has shown</a> that women who act in dominant and more masculine ways generate much stronger feelings of contempt, disgust, revulsion and disdain in others.</p>
<h2>Damned if you do, damned if you don’t</h2>
<p>It’s easy to see how these gender stereotypes can make things more difficult for female coaches.</p>
<p>Coaches are expected to be confident, demanding and assertive. Women in head coaching roles are, not surprisingly, expected to act “like a coach.” </p>
<p>But many of the behaviors expected of coaches also align with stereotypical male behaviors. So when women act like a coach, it violates traditional female gender stereotypes, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2011.10.008">subjecting them to backlash</a>.</p>
<p>Another problem is that female college athletes seem to value coaches who act in dominant, sometimes <a href="https://docplayer.net/18971095-Final-report-for-cage-the-coaching-and-gender-equity-project.html">authoritarian ways</a>. When female athletes are asked what they want in a coach, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19357397.2017.1315994?casa_token=wRIUCc5x1vYAAAAA:KQ7rqIc5yPGTQMyYFvoe3t-e4OiWqoeZs9BsELZnSHtIxb7XyGQIp5my_16HiiQ1xBRxgnk7PWHsNg">they’ll say</a> they want someone who is commanding, confident, assertive and knowledgeable.</p>
<p>At the same time, female athletes consider <a href="https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=QWCpCwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA126&dq=schull+female+athletes&ots=PfE5d8LNed&sig=dTAzjCVcc0E5CFlNca5GUSbT5eY#v=onepage&q=schull%20female%20athletes&f=false">ideal female coaches</a> to be caring, supportive and nurturing. But this contradicts <a href="https://journals.humankinetics.com/doi/abs/10.1123/wspaj.2018-0011">what they value in a coach</a>.</p>
<p>Female coaches ultimately <a href="https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.25.1.36">find themselves in a double bind</a>: They’re damned if they act like men, and damned if they don’t.</p>
<p>On March 30, Notre Dame head women’s basketball coach Muffet McGraw <a href="https://thinkprogress.org/this-top-womens-college-basketball-coach-is-done-hiring-men-5f3b6d06609b/">told Think Progress</a> that she would no longer hire men coaches for her staff. A few days later, when she was asked to elaborate on her stance, <a href="https://twitter.com/ncaawbb/status/1113842633481310212">she said</a>,</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Girls are socialized to know … that gender roles are already set. Men run the world. Men have the power. Men make the decisions. It’s always the men that [are] the stronger ones. When these girls are coming out, who are they looking up to telling them that that’s not the way it has to be? And where better to do that than in sports?” </p>
</blockquote>
<p>McGraw’s impulse to hire more women is well-founded. But the issue goes beyond simply hiring more women. These women, once they’re hired, need to be able to thrive in their jobs. Understanding how – and why – they’re held to a different standard is an important step in addressing the larger problem of inequality.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1113842633481310212"}"></div></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/116643/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Why do female college coaches seem to be held to a different standard than their male counterparts?Laura Burton, Professor of Sport Management, University of ConnecticutNicole M. LaVoi, Senior Lecturer of Social and Behavioral Sciences of Physical Activity, University of MinnesotaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1070752019-01-09T22:32:24Z2019-01-09T22:32:24ZThe more women in government, the healthier a population<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/253119/original/file-20190109-32127-cbiu5z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Canada's Minister of the Status of Women Maryam Monsef is pictured in the Library of Parliament on Parliament Hill, in Ottawa on Feb. 28, 2018. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In November 2015, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau formed the first gender-balanced cabinet in Canadian history. In announcing his cabinet, he ensured that half of his closest advisers (15 out of a total of 30) were women. </p>
<p>Canada’s gender-equal cabinet vaulted the country from <a href="http://archive.ipu.org/pdf/publications/wmnmap15_en.pdf">20th</a> to <a href="http://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/library/publications/2017/femmesenpolitique_2017_english_web.pdf?la=en&vs=1123">fifth place in the world</a> in terms of percentage of women in ministerial positions. </p>
<p>When reporters asked Trudeau about why gender parity was important to him, he retorted: “<a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/trudeaus-because-its-2015-retort-draws-international-cheers/article27119856/">Because it’s 2015</a>.” His simple yet momentous response resonated with those committed to equity, diversity and inclusion. </p>
<p>As public health researchers, this got us thinking — if increasing the number of women in positions of power promotes gender equity, could it also promote population health and well-being? </p>
<p>Our findings, published recently in the journal <em>SSM - Population Health</em>, support the argument that yes, women in government do in fact advance population health.</p>
<h2>More women in power, fewer deaths</h2>
<p>We first dug into the research literature to see how male and female politicians might differ from each other. Compared to their male counterparts, female politicians are more likely to hold left-wing attitudes (with regard to issues such as civil rights, social equality and egalitarianism) <a href="https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev.polisci.11.053106.123839">and substantively advance women’s rights</a> in areas such as pay equity, violence against women, health care and family policy.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/252956/original/file-20190108-32136-bn3960.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/252956/original/file-20190108-32136-bn3960.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252956/original/file-20190108-32136-bn3960.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252956/original/file-20190108-32136-bn3960.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252956/original/file-20190108-32136-bn3960.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252956/original/file-20190108-32136-bn3960.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252956/original/file-20190108-32136-bn3960.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Deb Haaland is one of two Native American women who marked historic congressional victories in November 2018 as a record number of women were elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Juan Labreche)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Also, research has shown that <a href="https://opencommons.uconn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=1010&context=chip_docs">women in government tend to work in more collaborative and bipartisan ways</a> and employ a more democratic leadership style compared to men’s more autocratic style. Women are also more effective at building coalitions and reaching consensus.</p>
<p>Next, we examined whether there’s a historical association between women in government and population health among Canada’s 10 provinces. Between 1976 and 2009, the percentage of women in provincial government increased six-fold from 4.2 per cent to 25.9 per cent, while mortality from all causes declined by 37.5 per cent (from 8.85 to 5.53 deaths per 1000 people). </p>
<p>Using data from provincial election offices and Statistics Canada, we found that as the average percentage of women in government has historically risen, total mortality rates have declined.</p>
<h2>Women spend more on health and education</h2>
<p>This link does not of course mean that the increase of women in government has directly caused the decline in mortality. </p>
<p>To assess this, we regressed mortality rates on women in government while controlling for several potential confounders. Our findings support the hypothesis that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2018.08.003">women in government do in fact advance population health</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/252952/original/file-20190108-32151-1u7coax.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/252952/original/file-20190108-32151-1u7coax.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=518&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252952/original/file-20190108-32151-1u7coax.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=518&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252952/original/file-20190108-32151-1u7coax.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=518&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252952/original/file-20190108-32151-1u7coax.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=651&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252952/original/file-20190108-32151-1u7coax.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=651&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252952/original/file-20190108-32151-1u7coax.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=651&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern addresses Parliament in Wellington, N.Z., in May 2018 while pregnant with her first child. Many hope the 37-year-old will become a role model for combining motherhood with political leadership.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Nick Perry, File)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Interestingly, women in government in Canada have had a bigger effect on male mortality rates than on female rates (1.00 vs 0.44 deaths per 1,000 people).</p>
<p>We also found a pathway that connects women in government, population health and the potential role of partisan politics. In an earlier study, we found that <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/jech-2014-205385">four types of provincial government spending are predictive of lower mortality rates</a>: medical care, preventive care, other social services and post-secondary education. </p>
<p>When we tested government spending as a mediating factor, we found that women in government in Canada have reduced mortality rates by triggering these specific types of health-promoting expenditures.</p>
<h2>Women work in more collaborative ways</h2>
<p>We also found that there was no relationship between the political leanings of women in government — whether they belonged to left-wing, centrist or right-wing parties — and mortality rates. </p>
<p>Ideological differences among social democratic (e.g., NDP), centrist (e.g., Liberal), and fiscal conservative (e.g., Conservative) political parties seem to be less important to mortality rates than increasing the actual number of women elected to government. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/252957/original/file-20190108-32121-5676ky.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/252957/original/file-20190108-32121-5676ky.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=414&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252957/original/file-20190108-32121-5676ky.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=414&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252957/original/file-20190108-32121-5676ky.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=414&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252957/original/file-20190108-32121-5676ky.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=521&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252957/original/file-20190108-32121-5676ky.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=521&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252957/original/file-20190108-32121-5676ky.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=521&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Scotland’s Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon, left, walks with European Union Chief negotiator for Brexit Michel Barnier, prior to a meeting at EU headquarters in Brussels on Monday, May 28, 2018.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Emmanuel Dunand, Pool Photo via AP)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This finding supports the idea that women in government tend to work in more collaborative and bipartisan ways than their male counterparts.</p>
<p>It’s now 2019 and leading public health scholars still tend to downplay the potential effects of political determinants such as gender politics on population health. Instead, they opt to focus almost exclusively on individual and social determinants of health. </p>
<p>We believe gender politics matters in public health because it helps to determine “<a href="https://books.google.ca/books/about/Politics.html?id=fP6BAAAAMAAJ&redir_esc=y">who gets what, when and how</a>.” </p>
<p>We believe that electing more women in government not only promotes gender equality and strengthens democratic institutions but also makes real and substantive contributions to government spending and population health. </p>
<p>Given that women in government can bring about desirable changes in population health, let’s figure out how we can genuinely level the political playing field for women.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/107075/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>New research shows that female politicians spend more on health and education, improving the well-being of a population.Edwin Ng, Assistant Professor, School of Social Work, University of WaterlooCarles Muntaner, Professor, Faculty of Nursing, University of TorontoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1006982018-08-01T13:22:19Z2018-08-01T13:22:19ZFemale principals in South Africa: the dynamics that get in the way of success<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229958/original/file-20180731-136676-1xhmlel.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Women who lead schools must deal with internal and external stresses.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Burlingham/Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>There are two dominant narratives in research about female principals and educational leadership. The first centres on women’s struggles in accessing leadership positions – internal and external. The second relates to what women must deal with in retaining those positions.</p>
<p>Both narratives are underscored by a common theme: that leadership positions in schools are male dominated. What’s missing is women principals’ identities as leaders in relation to race, culture, ethnicity, religion, class, and sexuality.</p>
<p>Women are under-represented in school leadership positions. This is despite significant shifts towards gender equity over the past two decades. Female teachers make up about 68% of the country’s teaching force. But <a href="https://www.news24.com/Archives/City-Press/Motshekga-Only-36-of-school-principals-are-women-20150429">only 36%</a> of principals are women.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/18146627.2016.1264865">In my study</a> I set out to understand and explore the lived experiences and stories of female principals, rather than simply looking at their perceived barriers and challenges. </p>
<p>My findings suggest that female principals in South Africa follow very different routes in pursuit of leadership positions. Their own identities as leaders are both informed and inhibited by a range of complex interrelated factors. To tackle the issues they deal with, changes are necessary at the policy level – and women educational leaders also need to shift parameters and perceptions, both in relation to pre-existing traditional, patriarchal norms as well as their own autonomy and agency.</p>
<h2>A leadership identity</h2>
<p>The study focused on six female principals. All had been teachers for at least 20 years. They taught at the same schools where they were appointed as principals. None had ever worked for a woman principal before.</p>
<p>The women told me they’d all fulfilled leadership responsibilities before being appointed to the top job. And all maintained that they would not have been considered for their positions without their male predecessors’ endorsement.</p>
<p>The most significant finding was that all the principals I interviewed expressed high levels of self doubt. They all considered themselves more than qualified and deserving of their positions. And they reported feeling comfortable in attending to academic and administrative matters.</p>
<p>But they retreated from certain parts of their jobs once appointed. For instance, they avoided managing conflict among staff. They delegated disciplinary responsibilities to male teachers. They chose not to take the lead in financial management of the school. It is unclear whether this practice is common in other professions. What we do know is that schools are deeply embedded in the communities in which they are located, and often adopt and emulate the same normative practices of that particular communities. </p>
<p>There are many complex reasons for this. One is that it is not possible to disconnect leadership practices from context, social structures and power relations including embedded norms and functions associated with gender. </p>
<p>Most of the principals reported tensions and feelings of displacement – a sense of non-belonging and uncertainty – in their positions, and in their relationships with both male and female colleagues. Two reported very poor relationships with female colleagues, in particular and three told me that they were considering resigning. This echoes <a href="http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/37615/">existing research</a> about how many women leave educational leadership positions prematurely.</p>
<h2>Internal factors</h2>
<p><a href="https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/education_books/113/">Research typically identifies</a> a number of external factors that preclude women from occupying leadership positions. These include family and home responsibilities, working conditions and sex discrimination, as well as a lack of support from both family and colleagues. </p>
<p>But, as <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/18146627.2016.1264865">my study</a> shows, the influence of internal factors, such as poor self-confidence, can’t be discounted.</p>
<p>None of the six women reported a lack of support or pride from family members. But all of them reported feelings of guilt in not “making enough time for family”.</p>
<p>These findings correlate with other <a href="http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.528.6072&rep=rep1&type=pdf">international studies</a> on educational leadership which maintain that the reason female principals are under-represented has less to do with external barriers and discrimination than it does with women’s understanding of themselves. </p>
<p>So it might be a lack of leadership identity which inhibits women, rather than specific barriers which hold them back. This means that while they might be seen as “disrupting” traditional male spaces, they do not (yet) have a leadership identity which allows them to believe in and assert their own capacity as leaders. </p>
<p>To change this, policies will need to change. No policy about principals in South Africa gives attention to the complexity of the challenges they face. Rather, leadership is approached as a set of pre-determined key performance indicators. Policies need to be designed in a way that allows women to recognise their experiences. </p>
<p>Women have a role to play here, too. They are the only ones who can shift parameters and perceptions. This is true in relation to pre-existing traditional, patriarchal norms as well as their own autonomy and agency. While external barriers do exist and must be tackled, women principals should also begin to presume that they are equal to men. They deserve to be in leadership positions. There’s no need to wait for permission.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/100698/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nuraan Davids receives funding from the National Research Foundation (NRF), which supported the research being reported on in this article. </span></em></p>Researchers pay scant attention to women principals’ identities as leaders in relation to race, culture, ethnicity, religion, class, and sexuality.Nuraan Davids, Professor of Philosophy of Education, Stellenbosch UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/812512017-08-10T00:09:52Z2017-08-10T00:09:52ZDo college presidents still matter?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/180626/original/file-20170801-22841-uslwtn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Three influential college presidents: Charles Eliot of Harvard (in office 1869-1909), Robert Maynard Hutchins of the University of Chicago (1929-45) and Drew Faust of Harvard (2007-18).</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">AP Photo/Edward Kitch/Charles Krupa</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Drew Faust’s recent decision to <a href="http://harvardmagazine.com/2017/06/harvard-president-faust-stepping-down-2018">step down as president of Harvard</a> has inspired much commentary about <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/06/15/the-biggest-job-education-just-opened-who-running/buz6wZLRSMSk98SPfPI8aK/story.html">who</a> <a href="http://poetsandquants.com/2017/06/14/could-nitin-nohria-become-harvards-next-president/">should be</a> the <a href="https://qz.com/1008395/harvards-new-president-could-be-barack-obama-or-janet-yellen/">next president</a> of the country’s leading university and, therefore, about the nature of the contemporary academic presidency. Has the position changed over the last generation of presidents? How much does an individual president still matter anyway?</p>
<p>As a former university president and student of the presidency, I find these questions fascinating to consider. Given that a high percentage of sitting presidents will be <a href="http://www.acenet.edu/news-room/Pages/American-College-President-Study.aspx">retiring in the immediate future</a>, these questions are also important for all of higher education.</p>
<p>Will the next crop of presidents face different pressures and require different skills than was the case for new presidents a decade or two ago?</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/180609/original/file-20170801-24097-yvk6ls.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/180609/original/file-20170801-24097-yvk6ls.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=382&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180609/original/file-20170801-24097-yvk6ls.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=382&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180609/original/file-20170801-24097-yvk6ls.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=382&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180609/original/file-20170801-24097-yvk6ls.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180609/original/file-20170801-24097-yvk6ls.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180609/original/file-20170801-24097-yvk6ls.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Former Harvard presidents Larry Summers and Drew Faust, at the latter’s inauguration in 2007. Faust recently announced her resignation, slated for the end of the 2017-2018 academic year.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Harvard-President/064aef9e525046228899606c8eb95cea/1/0">AP Photo/Lisa Poole</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The changing presidency</h2>
<p>To some extent, the answer to what kind of president a college or university needs is specific to that institution and that moment in time. In 2007, Drew Faust was the right president for Harvard in part because of the <a href="http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2005/1/14/summers-comments-on-women-and-science/">divisive atmosphere</a> created by her predecessor. (Larry Summers drew considerable ire for his remarks about men’s “<a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2005/02/18/summers2_18">intrinsic aptitude</a>” in math and science.)</p>
<p>But institution-specific considerations can vary greatly. Some circumstances call for a change agent; others for a stabilizing manager. Sometimes an internally focused academic leader is needed; sometimes an outward-looking spokesperson and fundraiser. Alumni status can be important, as can disciplinary background. The list of possibilities is long. Framing the needed profile is the job of trustees.</p>
<p>Beyond the specific circumstances of individual institutions loom larger questions about academic leadership in general. </p>
<p>Recent <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00091383.2013.749144">scholarly</a> and <a href="http://highered.aspeninstitute.org/future-college-presidency/">professional</a> discussions of the presidency tend to stress the <a href="https://dupress.deloitte.com/dup-us-en/industry/public-sector/college-presidency-higher-education-leadership.html">changing nature of the role</a>. One line of argument emphasizes heightened pressures from external factors like constrained public budgets, rising operating costs, increased government regulation and intensified competition from for-profit and online providers.</p>
<p>These considerations lead some to argue that academic institutions today must run <a href="https://doi.org/10.1353/jhe.2004.0022">more like businesses</a> than in the past and that future presidents will need skills in corporate-style strategic planning and management, or in entrepreneurial approaches to program development and in identifying new revenue streams. Alternatively, some argue that intensified economic pressures call for <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3200/CHNG.41.5.46-54">heightened fundraising skills</a> or, for public sector presidents, sophistication in political advocacy.</p>
<figure class="align-right
">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/180605/original/file-20170801-21062-10n1cz7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/180605/original/file-20170801-21062-10n1cz7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=705&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180605/original/file-20170801-21062-10n1cz7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=705&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180605/original/file-20170801-21062-10n1cz7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=705&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180605/original/file-20170801-21062-10n1cz7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=886&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180605/original/file-20170801-21062-10n1cz7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=886&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180605/original/file-20170801-21062-10n1cz7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=886&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">John Brademas as majority whip in 1971. He used the political capital he built up as a longtime member of Congress to raise big money after becoming the president of NYU.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Brademas.jpg">Congressional Pictorial Directory, 92nd U.S. Congress</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The changing university</h2>
<p>Another line of discussion stresses the changing nature of the university itself. Colleges and universities, so the argument goes, are becoming more complex, with increasingly diverse constituencies and multiple centers of power. One such center of power is the faculty, whose <a href="https://doi.org/10.2307/2392088">increased autonomy and expectations of influence</a> can seemingly limit executive action.</p>
<p>In recent years, scholars have described academic institutions as “<a href="https://doi.org/10.2307/2391875">loosely coupled systems</a>” or “<a href="https://doi.org/10.2307/2392088">organized anarchies</a>” and have concluded that traditional styles of top-down executive leadership do not work in this context.</p>
<p>An extreme version of this theory can lead to the conclusion that the powers of the presidency have been so diluted as to reduce the role to a merely symbolic one. One empirical study of universities in the United Kingdom found that campus leaders had <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-010-9311-0">no measurable impact</a> on the actual performance of their institutions.</p>
<p>Though scholars may speculate on the efficacy of university presidents, presidents themselves tend to stress that decentralization within academic organizations simply changes the requirements for effective leadership.</p>
<p>Such presidents argue that <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00091383.2017.1286213">the contemporary presidency</a> requires capacities like persuasiveness, listening, consensus building and the creation of coalitions. In short, some feel that political skill should replace managerial acumen in a president’s skill set.</p>
<p>Recent discussions of academic leadership have stressed that such political skills have become even more important in the context of a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/07/education/edlife/student-demands-an-update.html">new wave of student activism</a> and heightened tensions within increasingly diverse campus communities – phenomena made more challenging by the megaphone of social media.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/180603/original/file-20170801-22175-1xrulko.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/180603/original/file-20170801-22175-1xrulko.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=447&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180603/original/file-20170801-22175-1xrulko.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=447&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180603/original/file-20170801-22175-1xrulko.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=447&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180603/original/file-20170801-22175-1xrulko.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=561&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180603/original/file-20170801-22175-1xrulko.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=561&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180603/original/file-20170801-22175-1xrulko.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=561&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">University of California president Janet Napolitano faces protesters during an audit of the UC system.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/University-of-California-Partying-Regents/efa3b0a8348c494abfbe185397d65c78/8/0">AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Presidential leadership is possible</h2>
<p>Notwithstanding these multiple perspectives on the contemporary presidency, a unifying theme emerges: The presidency has become more complex and demanding.</p>
<p>Must we conclude that such complexity renders the role ineffective and therefore (oddly) less important? My own sense, based on 10 years as president of Northeastern, 40 years in academic administration and the study of numerous presidencies, is that significant presidential leadership remains both possible and essential. </p>
<p>First, I believe it’s a massive overstatement to argue that the presidency has been rendered ineffective by decentralized organizational structures and empowered campus constituencies. Presidents can and do lead by convincing key stakeholders whom they cannot directly control to support their goals. They do so by exercising persuasion, moral force and inspiration and by representing the inherent authority of the office. This is hard, but possible.</p>
<p>What’s more, these changes don’t eliminate important powers that remain in the hands of the president. Presidents still control the budget. Presidents establish organizational structures and lines of authority. Presidents appoint the top administrative officials who report directly to them. These are significant levers to shape an organization and direct its development. Using them effectively requires managerial skills like organizational design, team building, priority setting, delegation and supervision. Again, this is difficult, but possible. </p>
<p>Finally, quite apart from the matter of power, the symbolic role of the president remains deeply important. In my view, how faculty and staff feel about their president affects the quality of their work and, therefore, the education of students, just as the leader of any organization or unit of government affects the morale and commitment of members of that community. Moreover, how donors, alumni and legislators feel about the president affects campus finances.</p>
<p>Even if the president did nothing but occupy the office and articulate the value of the institution, the role would matter a lot.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/81251/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Richard Freeland is an executive coach and strategic planning consultant for Maguire Associates. </span></em></p>A former president of Northeastern and scholar of higher education shares his perspectives on what has – and hasn’t – changed in the role of the college president.Richard Freeland, Professor of History and Higher Education, Northeastern UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/771462017-07-13T06:06:37Z2017-07-13T06:06:37ZTeaching little girls to lead<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/177865/original/file-20170712-19675-533npx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Disney's retrograde princesses have seen some improvements in recent years, but they still send mixed messages about what female leadership looks like.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7163/6502707419_94cc9e7c90_b.jpg">JLinsky/flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>By the age of two, most children <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3747736/">use gender pronouns</a> in their speech and proactively identify people as men and women. And by the time they turn seven, little boys and little girls have already learnt a lot about what is expected of them within our – binary – gender system.</p>
<p>Much of this learning is unintentional, communicated via pop culture.</p>
<p>A few years ago, a <a href="http://www.lainformacion.com/ciencia-y-tecnologia/ciencias-general/los-personajes-femeninas-de-dibujos-animados-son-consumistas-y-superficiales-segun-un-estudio_sErWanD6bgg5gpvMeaKk51/">researchers from Granada University</a> analysed 621 characters of both sexes from 163 cartoon series, including Monster High and Shin Chan. They found that women are largely relegated to secondary roles: girlfriends, mothers or companions to the animated heroes and villains. </p>
<p>Not only are cartoon women rarely leading characters, they’re also awash in stereotypes. The Spanish researchers reported that most animated women are <a href="https://secretariageneral.ugr.es/pages/tablon/*/noticias-canal-ugr/las-mujeres-que-aparecen-en-los-dibujos-animados-son-consumistas-celosas-y-estan-obsesionadas-por-su-aspecto-fisico#.WV_T8YiGPIU">materialistic, jealous and superficial</a>, obsessed with their bodies and keen to please other people. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KMvqrjnraqQ?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">A December 2016 ad from the car company Audi that rethinks what cartoon girls like to do.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>How do princesses lead?</h2>
<p>Even when women do play the lead, they often reify tired adages about women. </p>
<p>With <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114148/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Pocahontas</a> (1995), for example, Disney showed that not even cartoon women can “have it all”. The Indian princess must choose between success in the public sphere and a happy romantic life.</p>
<p>Indeed, studies have found that in all of the princess films produced by Disney between 1989 and 1999, male characters have <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/01/25/researchers-have-discovered-a-major-problem-with-the-little-mermaid-and-other-disney-movies/?utm_term=.c8e008d26a44">three times as much dialogue</a> as female characters. </p>
<p>American linguists found that men speak 68% of the time in The Little Mermaid, 71% in Beauty and the Beast, 90% in Aladdin and 76% in Pocahontas. Ariel, the little mermaid herself, actually prefers to be struck dumb forever in exchange for a man.</p>
<p>These lessons are not lost on children, who are well aware that superheroes are mostly boys and princesses are girls. That makes it more difficult to model leadership for young women. </p>
<p>Unlike superheroes, who use their extraordinary gifts to do good for society, cartoon princesses tend to focus on private issues, not public service.</p>
<p>Disney has shown some improvement since the days of passive <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029583/?ref_=fn_tt_tt_4">Snow White</a> (1937) and submissive <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042332/">Cinderella</a> (1950). In recent years, female leaders have appeared among the studio’s characters, most notably in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120762/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Mulan</a> (1998) and the 2013 megahit, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2294629/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Frozen</a>. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/BWbzq_fnHjl","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<p>But the messages conveyed are not so far removed from the most conventional Disney stereotypes.</p>
<p>Mulan is a bold Chinese warrior, respected and followed by her people…all of whom think she is a man, because she has deceived them by cutting her hair. The point here appears to be that to become a good leader, a woman should look and act like a man. </p>
<p>Frozen was hailed as “<a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/disneys-sublimely-subversive-frozen-isnt-your-typical-princess-movie">not your typical princess movie</a>”, because it portrays two sisters who don’t need to be rescued by a handsome prince. Instead, at the film’s end, Elsa and Anna save each other with their sororal love. </p>
<p>But, the protagonist Elsa has dubious leadership skills. As the elder sister, she is responsible for governing, but when she gets nervous she lets her emotions get the better of her. Despite her good intentions, she cannot effectively wield power. </p>
<p>As a result, she freezes her realm and withdraws into a solitary world. In other words, she lacks emotional intelligence.</p>
<h2>Lessons in female leadership</h2>
<p>What have we learned? Now, children, repeat after me: </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Leadership is male.</p></li>
<li><p>Women are better leaders when they look and act like men. </p></li>
<li><p>A successful public life interferes in a woman’s private life. </p></li>
<li><p>When women get emotionally involved, they lose rational thought, and their leadership capacity fails them.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>It’s hardly surprising that the lessons we’ve internalised since childhood are reproduced every day by (adult) media coverage of, say, <a href="https://theconversation.com/five-ways-the-media-hurts-female-politicians-and-how-journalists-everywhere-can-do-better-70771">female politicians</a>, who face stereotypes and obstacles <a href="http://nimd.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/NIMD-Dancing-Backwards-in-High-Heels-spread-DEF-1.pdf">utterly unknown to their male colleagues</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/177951/original/file-20170712-19645-k16lwg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/177951/original/file-20170712-19645-k16lwg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177951/original/file-20170712-19645-k16lwg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177951/original/file-20170712-19645-k16lwg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177951/original/file-20170712-19645-k16lwg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177951/original/file-20170712-19645-k16lwg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177951/original/file-20170712-19645-k16lwg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Girls toys. You can tell because they’re pink.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/janetmck/6826071580">janetmck/flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>All in good fun</h2>
<p>But wait, <a href="http://www.theblaze.com/contributions/yes-i-do-want-my-daughter-to-conform-to-her-gender/">say some cultural observers</a>, aren’t we’re going too far, here? Watching Disney movies and play-acting the characters – that’s just kids’ stuff, fun and games! </p>
<p>Not exactly. Last year, academics from Brigham Young University in Utah <a href="https://phys.org/news/2016-06-disney-princess-culture-magnifies-stereotypes.htmL">looked into this subject</a>, interviewing and observing 198 boys and girls in preschool and kindergarten. </p>
<p>They found that the more the girls identified with “princess culture”, the more they exhibited patterns of behaviour that corresponded to female stereotypes suggesting that beauty, sweetness and obedience are women’s most valuable assets. The study empirically validates concerns that <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/11/161130114038.htm">sociologists</a> and <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=Or13vhnA_W4C&pg=PA277&lpg=PA277&dq=feminist+theory+girls+toys&source=bl&ots=Q0vFeU2RPA&sig=Ym2-LAWgKOOZLDxNbKesDQaCL6k&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiUqv2b5IPVAhVGWCYKHa2oAIgQ6AEIZjAN#v=onepage&q=feminist%20theory%20girls%20toys&f=false">feminists</a> have been discussing for some time. </p>
<p>Recognising that female leadership is not well represented in Western society doesn’t mean kids shouldn’t be exposed to these cultural products. It’s fine for a girl to play at being a princess, as long as she can also kick around a soccer ball, build things with nuts and tools, play the drums and fancy becoming a scientist, engineer, astronaut or firefighter.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6zhLBe319KE?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Now here’s a leader: Nausicaä (Shimamoto), the young princess of the Valley of the Wind.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Likewise, there’s no reason why a boy dressed as his favourite superhero shouldn’t pretend to take care of babies, cook dinner or vacuum the house. </p>
<h2>Gender free toys</h2>
<p>This was the message of a 2015 holiday advertising campaign launched by the French supermarket chain System U, which reminded consumers that there are not toys for boys and toys for girls – there are just toys. </p>
<p>The commercial, headlined #GenderFreeChristmas, opens by reflecting the clichés that surround children from birth, saying that perceptions about gender (“Girls like kitchens”, “boys play with guns”) are shaped by what we’re taught when we’re very young. </p>
<p>Those stereotypical conceptions fall apart when a group of little girls and boys are allowed to enter a room full of toys. A little girl rushes to the model car set; a boy goes for a baby doll. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/R9qzoBDBg1Q?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">France’s #GenderFreeChristmas ad.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Whether driven by profit or by social responsibility, companies are become more aware of the gender stereotypes promoted by their products. In Sweden, the chain stores Toys R Us and BR-Toys <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/sweden/9703127/Swedish-toy-catalogue-goes-gender-neutral.html">have said they’ll stop publishing gender-differentiated catalogs</a> and dividing toys into “girls” and “boys” sections.</p>
<p>Still, families must talk with children about the meaning of what they see, ensuring that girls understand that princesses are just one kind of role model – there’s also the powerful <a href="https://theconversation.com/wonder-woman-feminist-icon-or-symbol-of-oppression-79674">Wonder Woman</a>, smart Velma from Scooby-Doo and Peppa Pig (dubbed a “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/13/not-only-is-peppa-pig-a-feminist-shes-probably-a-communist-too">weird feminist</a>” by one conservative blogger).</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RIpiUM0CpRY?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Peppa Pig, an updated female cartoon character.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>And, last but not least, adults must ensure that we do not reinforce negative gender messaging in our daily lives by making girls feel that they are most valuable when they look like pretty princesses.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/77146/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Virginia García Beaudoux does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Princesses are not great role models if we want to raise empowered daughters.Virginia García Beaudoux, Professor of Political Communication and Public Opinion, Universidad de Buenos AiresLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/713422017-06-14T20:07:41Z2017-06-14T20:07:41ZAutonomy and strong female leadership key to success of Indigenous owned Murri School<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/173698/original/file-20170614-30051-h3wr0f.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The Murri School is one of the few Indigenous owned and controlled schools in Australia. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Screenshot from YouTube video.</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>In <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/are-we-making-progress-on-indigenous-education-39329">this series</a>, we’ll discuss whether progress is being made on Indigenous education, looking at various areas including policy, scholarships, school leadership, literacy and much more.</em> </p>
<hr>
<p>In Indigenous education, we constantly hear bad news stories of children falling through gaps and schools unable to assist students who need the most help. </p>
<p>As an Indigenous woman and researcher this affects me greatly, and to the general public, creates a malaise and apathy that disables any tangible solutions. </p>
<p>I’m currently working on a research project about how these negative stories impact on Indigenous education, and I am tired of seeing what doesn’t work. </p>
<p>But there are positive stories of success in Indigenous education - stories that show there is great hope in the way Indigenous communities provide solutions for their children. </p>
<p>I’ve seen many positive and inspiring programs that show that things can be different. Isn’t it time that we focused on a successful story on Indigenous education, and ponder what lessons could be learnt from this?</p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/173699/original/file-20170614-30067-9ry35x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/173699/original/file-20170614-30067-9ry35x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=396&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/173699/original/file-20170614-30067-9ry35x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=396&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/173699/original/file-20170614-30067-9ry35x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=396&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/173699/original/file-20170614-30067-9ry35x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=497&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/173699/original/file-20170614-30067-9ry35x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=497&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/173699/original/file-20170614-30067-9ry35x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=497&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Screenshot taken from YouTube video.</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The Murri School - a success story</h2>
<p>The Aboriginal and Islander Community School (<a href="http://www.murrischool.com/">The Murri School</a>) is a great example of a school working constructively for all of its children. </p>
<p>For over 30 years, this independent school has been quietly achieving results. Growing from a small derelict building in inner city Brisbane, the school now resides in Brisbane’s south and is large enough to cater for their students. </p>
<p>The Murri School is focusing on the practicalities such as busses to get children to school, and using a holistic approach that gives families empowerment in school decision making. </p>
<p>This school is one of the few Indigenous owned and controlled schools in Australia. </p>
<p>It has around 208 students ranging from Prep to Year 12 and uses creative ways to encourage the success of its students. These include close connection to health services through which it employs a family support worker, speech pathologist and a number of psychologists and counsellors. The school was established on the assertion of real sovereignty and self determination. </p>
<p>School Board President Dr Valerie Cooms says that part of their success is due to strong female involvement: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>We work closely with mostly mums and grandmothers and some fathers too, from the enrolment process right through to assessing individual student needs (health and wellbeing) as well as assessing their literacy and numeracy capabilities. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>As a PhD candidate researching Aboriginal women and leadership, the involvement of these women comes as no surprise as it appears the work that many do in education is often of a volunteer nature, yet tireless in its approach to building a strong autonomous school environment. </p>
<p>This goes beyond the nurturing idea of women’s leadership towards strong and determined capacity building, governance and advocacy. </p>
<h2>Autonomous schools look beyond government targets</h2>
<p>Autonomous schools have to work intensely with both government departments and the community in order to provide an effective school environment. </p>
<p>The process of establishing such a school is more than building classrooms, playing fields, tuckshops, and administration offices. It is also moves beyond achieving government-based targets. As Cooms explains: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>It’s more than just assessing academic skills, we want our students to learn how to communicate and navigate the complex world around them. Cultural pride and identity as Indigenous people is key to learning academic and socio-cultural skills. </p>
<p>Moreover, parents and other care providers feel comfortable communicating their concerns or needs in our school because we are community based and owned organisation, not a program designed and implemented from elsewhere. Its home grown. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>The school provides a range of activities for a dispersed population and has multiple roles, including service provider and the “voice” of the community on many issues. The school also employs many Indigenous people.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AyLyiIF4LEs?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>Some of the positive programs run through the school have included healing camps, run with both students and family members, and the inclusion of a Family Support Service. This service supports families in their day to day struggles in crisis intervention, prevention, advocacy and support. </p>
<p>These elements connect strongly with the school’s desire to include parents in the school environment, thereby involving them in their children’s education. </p>
<p>For Indigenous children, the education curriculum can be full of <a href="https://theconversation.com/history-textbooks-still-imply-that-australians-are-white-72796">white representations</a> that often don’t resonate. </p>
<p>Together with the impact of stereotyping on these children, this suggests that having a school where there is a dense population of black faces helps build an environment where students can feel comfortable.</p>
<p>The most exciting thing about many of these programs is that they go well beyond trying to close gaps. These programs, in their own unique ways, achieve far beyond the targets that the government has set. </p>
<p>For instance, the Murri School doesn’t just aim to improve literacy or attendance, it also recognises the value of parents and community being involved in educational decision-making for their child’s future. It also sets the bar high by working at building pathways for Indigenous employment, such as traineeships for Year 12 students. </p>
<p>The example of this school highlights not only the success in Indigenous owned and run institutions, but poses the question of why we don’t have more of these stories in the education system. </p>
<p>There is more that needs to be done in Indigenous education, and parental and community involvement shows just one way that the disadvantage can be addressed. </p>
<p>In light of all the bad news, how refreshing is it to hear and witness the hope and enthusiasm that exists in spite of this negativity? Why are there not more Indigenous schools, and is community ownership the way to change the disadvantage we hear in Indigenous education? It is time we shifted focus and celebrated more of these success stories.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>• <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/are-we-making-progress-on-indigenous-education-39329">Read more articles</a> in this series.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/71342/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tess Ryan receives funding from The University of Canberra for research into the studying the deficit metrics of Indigenous education. </span></em></p>For the past 30 years, this Indigenous owned and controlled school has been quietly achieving results. Here’s what the school board president says is behind their success.Dr Tess Ryan, PhD Candidate, University of Canberra and Project Officer, Poche Center for Indigenous Health, University of Melbourne, University of CanberraLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.