Women in Leadership: Barriers to Retaining Women in Senior Leadership

Women in Leadership: Barriers to Retaining Women in Senior Leadership

Introduction

Perhaps, the person who vividly opened doors for women in leadership is Eleanor Roosevelt (1884 – 1962), an occurrence in American society (Smith, 2017). Roosevelt was married to one of the most dominating American presidents, Franklin D. Roosevelt, commonly known as FDR. She became one of the independent forces that President Roosevelt had to deal with. As quoted by one of the advisers, Roosevelt would not accept anything that was raised by the husband, but question objectively. From the Roosevelt time, the issue of women in leadership has gained much attention. Besides, many women have risen to power, and currently, there are many powerful women across the world, controlling countries regarded to be “successful.” Proponents of women in leadership have argued that women are powerful change agents, and the far-reaching advantages of gender and diversity parity in decision making and leadership are increasingly being recognized across the globe. However, women continue to be less presented and unable to retain their leadership in business, politics, and communities. Women are decision-makers and leaders at all levels; however, due to authenticity and moral standards, they fail to retain leadership. This paper explores two theories of women in leadership, authentic leadership, and ethical leadership theory to explain why women are essential in every aspect of leadership across the world.

Description of Primary Components of the Theories

The first theory is authentic leadership as it applies to women leaders. According to Avolio and Walumbwa (2014), the essence of the perspective is to present an argument that gendered representation in leadership is authentic leadership.

The theory provides a history of theories in leadership and definitions of authentic leadership. Further, the theory criticizes authentic leadership perspectives and present argument to back that authentic leadership is not gender-neutral and is particularly a challenge for women to ensure they retain leadership. Greek philosophy, humanistic psychology, and in the new positive psychology are considered as the origin of authentic leadership. The antique Greek philosophical connotation was expressed in terms of ethical choices and individual values. Current philosophers concentrate on authenticity as a state that assists in resolving the conflict between the joint norms of moral conformism and individual norms of responsibility.

Regarding the barrier to women in retaining leadership, the theory presents that a gender-neutral approach to leadership does not take into consideration the sex-related issues in leadership. Moreover, it does not consider the gendered concepts in which the female gender work. However, the current discussion on authentic leadership does not take into consideration the gendered character of the construct of contemporary leadership. For women who want to lead or for those already in leadership, authentic leadership is a unique challenge. First, the women in leadership have a double-dilemma, A “think manager, think male” this masculine mindset deters women from rising to leadership, especially those who have a feminine perspective (Avolio & Walumbwa, 2014). Thus, women themselves, who are got in the norm of going against the approach of taking a masculine view, are held between difficult choices. As a result, issues such as lacking communal qualities is a barrier to women rising into leadership positions.

The second theory is moral leadership, analyzing the theory of power practice, judgment policy. The theory of moral leadership connects comprehensive works and volumes of essays from different scholars in the fields of law, political science, psychology, ethics, and leadership, guiding the theory. According to Davidson and Hughes (2020), the theory investigates issues such as how leaders establish, sustain, and transmit moral commitments. Besides, the theory explores under what processes those mentioned above become more effective. Other considerations, in theory, include the impact of officers, training activities, codes, and other similar initiatives in leadership and the application of practices and standards across contexts and cultures. An exciting aspect introduced by the theory entails what people know, and what they think they are aware of, regarding the role ethics play in making critical decisions.

The theory has specific aspects that explain barriers to women in leadership. Moral leadership does not take into consideration one’s gender but mainly focuses on the morals of such an individual. In this sense, morals refer to standards of principles to determine and practice what is wrong or right (Chambers, 2015). One aspect advocated by the moral leadership theory is that it does stand up for all groups, colors, genders, social statuses, ethnicity, among others. Neither men or women are naturally immoral. Moral standards apply to both sexes. In this view, the theory advocates that leadership should not be given based on one’s gender but the ability to express desired morals by the electorates or appointing authorities. One specific issue supported by the theory is that moral confidence should follow up decisions made by any leader. Also, some women are able to be in power but similar to men; their moral values fall below the general expectations. Thus, morals, as advocated by the theory, is one of the barriers to women into getting into leadership positions.

Viability of the Theories on Proposed Dissertation Study

The two theories, authentic leadership and moral leadership, are essential aspects of the proposed dissertation study. First, authentic leadership explains different elements that act as a barrier to women in rising to leadership positions (Avolio & Walumbwa, 2017). The theory is a critical component in the completion of the dissertation on women in leadership. In this regard, the focus of the theory does not take into consideration the gender aspect in getting into leadership positions but the authenticity of the leaders. Even though the theory explains that a gendered representation defines authentic leadership, it must not be gender-neutral, making it a barrier to women. Over the years, there have been campaigns aimed at ensuring that women are empowered and equally incorporated into leadership positions. Nonetheless, the theory has defined authentic leadership as the behavior pattern of leaders that is linked to and promotes both positive ethical climate and positive psychological capabilities to enhance an internalized moral perspective, greater self-awareness, and rational transparency. Also, the theory adds that authentic leaders should work with followers to improve positive individual-development.

Concerning barriers to women in leadership, the authentic leadership theory has different aspects of backing why most women have not risen to senior leadership positions. This is an essential component to explain the relevance of the theory in the completion of the thesis on barriers to women in leadership. Notably, there are three concepts advocated by the theory that defines an authentic leader. A focus on self-awareness, grounding on moral leadership, and an emphasis on the true self. In this sense, the theory advocates for authenticity rather than gender issues. Thus, based on the theory, a significant factor that backs the thesis is the authenticity of the female gender regarding the authenticity described above concerns.

Next, moral leadership theory is viable for the proposed dissertation in different aspects. According to Lakshmi (2014), the focus of the theory includes leadership forms such as authentic, ethical, and servant leadership. In the 21^st century, such aspects of leadership forms have met much attention. However, the theory investigates particular moral content, including virtue ethics, deontology, and consequentialism, that prevents women from retaining leadership positions. Previously, different scholars had argued that leadership should not or could not be associated with issues of morality or ethics. Currently, the administration is observed by many as not only essential for the societal good but essential for the sustainability of organizations. As a result, morality standards are the central issue in gaining and retaining leadership positions. Women who are unable to exhibit the desired moral standards and current expectations cannot maintain leadership.

Also, moral leadership theory supports the proposed thesis through the focus on ethical standards – focusing on compliance with normative standards. One of the essential components of leadership is ethics. The theory advocates that ethical standards are considered before gender considerations. An ethical leader has to exhibit given moral standards. These standards include honesty and fairness, among others. Regarding relationships with subordinates, a moral leader should act as an ethical manager. Regardless of the gender, one cannot retain a leadership position while exhibiting undesired moral standards, thus, a barrier to women maintaining leadership positions.

Limitations of Applying the Theory as a Foundation for the Proposed Dissertation Study

There are outstanding limitations of authentic leadership and moral leadership theories regarding barriers to women in retaining leadership positions. One of the disadvantages of applying the method is the insufficiency of literature. Without a doubt, the deficiency of research materials is the main disadvantage of using authentic leadership regarding barriers to the retention of leadership among women. Because there is no coherent and unanimous theory, it becomes difficult to conduct a proper analysis of authentic leadership and its application on barriers for women in retaining leadership positions. After careful review, a few kinds of literature have analyzed how authentic leadership acts as a barrier to women. Specifically, it is difficult to establish the correlation between retention of leadership among women and authentic leadership.

Another limitation of authentic leadership theory in the completion of the suggested thesis relates to rational transparency. The intelligent transparency attribute of authentic leadership entails sharing of feelings and emotions openly as appropriate for situations in a manner that leads people on how they perceive an authenticity sense on their leader. A problem that arises in applying authentic leadership in the retention of women in leadership positions can be inept and authentic at the same time. In this view, the authenticity of a woman leader could be taken as professional incompetence.

Moral leadership theory also presents certain disadvantages regarding the completion of the proposed dissertation. Despite the positive aspects, moral leadership can assist in sustaining women in leadership positions; it can also lead to women losing their jobs. Moral leadership requires women’s ethical framework to be in line with other values of the organization. However, not only the leaders in a company need an alignment. Some subordinates often find it challenging to abide by specific ethical standards. Moreover, morals depend on an individual’s view globally. Therefore, in some instances, women in leadership might think they are acting ethically, but the expression might not be in line with expectations; thus, acting as a barrier to retaining leadership.

Another disadvantage of moral leadership theory in completing the thesis is that, in most instances, it is difficult to uphold moral standards. In every organization, leaders have to face the so-called grey areas. Women in leadership often experience the same challenge, upholding ethical standards while at the same time ensuring a positive bottom line. In most instances, keeping up with regulations in place makes an impact on the costs. This makes ethical decisions to have a financial impact on the business. Thus, the theory fails to address that aspect; therefore, a challenge in completing the dissertation.

Conclusion

Concisely, women in leadership is a discussion that has raised diverse opinions and an exciting area for many scholars. Over the last few decades, there have been campaigns to ensure that women are incorporated into leadership positions. Importantly, different countries have established regulations to ensure that women are included in leadership. However, some barriers still prevent women from realizing and retaining leadership positions. Some of the notable theories are authentic leadership and moral leadership theories. Generally, the methods present that gender is a non-issue in leadership, but leadership is awarded based on the authenticity and ethical standards of the leader. Even though there is insufficient literature regarding how the theories present barriers to women in leadership, they are essential for the completion of the proposed thesis.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Avolio, B. J., & Walumbwa, F. O. (2014). Authentic leadership theory, research, and practice: Steps taken and steps that remain. In D. V. Day (Ed.), Oxford library of psychology. The Oxford handbook of leadership and organizations (p. 331–356). Oxford University Press.

Chambers, D. W. (2015). Moral Communities and Moral Leadership. The Journal of the American College of Dentists, 82(4), 60-75.

Davidson, F. D., & Hughes, T. R. (2020). Moral dimensions of leadership. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education.

Lakshmi, B. (2014). Leadership Ethics in Today’s World: Key Issues and Perspectives. ASCI Journal of Management, 44(1).

Smith, H. I. (2017). Eleanor: A Spiritual Biography: the Faith of the 20th Century’s Most Influential Woman. Westminster John Knox Press.