An overview of gender-based leadership barriers

Diehl, Amy B.; Dzubinski, Leanne M.

doi:10.4337/9781785363863.00027

Cited by 12 publications

(22 citation statements)

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“…Awareness of the barriers to career and leadership development in Vietnam have focussed on the less visible or covert constraints that prevent women from advancing their careers by moving into leadership roles (Do and Brennan, 2015; Funnell and Dao, 2013; Le, 2011; Le, et al , 2010; Nguyen, 2013; Truong, 2008; Truong, 2014; Vo, 2009). Diehl and Dzubinski, (2016, 2017) emphasise the importance of making the invisible visible in workplace cultures, arguing that they reproduce the gendered structures of society where sexism is largely hidden. While blatant forms of gender discrimination are now rare due to equal opportunity laws and organisational awareness (Diehl and Dzubinski, 2016), gender discrimination is still common, the problem now is that it has gone underground (Meyerson and Fletcher, 2000, p. 231):…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The barriers and enablers to career and leadership development

Mate

McDonald

2019

IJOA

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Purpose The purpose of this study is to contrast how the relationship between career and leadership development and workplace culture is experienced by women in two different countries and the implications this has for human resource development initiatives. Design/methodology/approach The study used a qualitative narrative research design to understand how the lived experiences of Australian and Vietnamese early- to mid-career female academics is engendered. Findings The study identified a number of key barriers and enablers that affected women’s career and leadership development. For the Australian participants, the main barrier included the competing demands of work and life and male dominated organisational cultures that discriminate against women in covert ways. The main enabler was mentoring and the building of professional networks that provided their careers with direction and support. For the Vietnamese participants, the main barriers were overt and included male-dominated organisational and societal cultures that limit their career and leadership development opportunities. The main enabler was having a sponsor or person with power in their respective organisation who would be willing to support their career advancement and gaining recognition from colleagues and peers. Research limitations/implications Gaining a deeper understanding of the barriers and enablers that effect women’s career and leadership development can be used to investigate how culturally appropriate developmental relationships can create ways to overcome the barriers they experience. Originality/value The study analysed the contrasting experiences of barriers and enablers from two cultures. The participants narrated stories that reflected on the gender politics they experienced in their career and leadership development. The narrative comparisons provide a unique lens to analyse the complex cultural experience of gender and work with potential implications for human resource development.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The barriers and enablers to career and leadership development

Mate

McDonald

2019

IJOA

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“…The considerable research on women's leadership (e.g., Madsen, 2017; Storberg‐Walker & Haber‐Curran, 2017), particularly on the dearth of women in high‐ranking and highly paid positions, has noted how workplace, civic, and other professional cultures often do not support or accommodate women, and how women often do not adapt to leadership norms and/or do not pursue leadership opportunities (Diehl & Dzubinski, 2017; Ridgeway, 2011; Thomson, 2018). It has also been argued that women might not adapt to leadership expectations due to biology or socialization, leading to the need to “fix the women” and help them learn to conform to dominant leadership norms and expectations (Fox‐Kirk, 2019; Kay & Shipman, 2014).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Vinnicombe and Singh (2002) argued that traditional leadership training and development have been designed for men and may not be optimal for women. Even with targeted women‐only training, biases, shortage of networks, sexism in hiring, and the lack of confidence that may be engendered by these barriers may keep women from leadership positions in organizations (Diehl & Dzubinski, 2017; Ridgeway, 2011; Thomson, 2018). Nonetheless, many women in leadership positions are viewed as effective, demonstrating a range of widely accepted leadership skills (Zenger & Folkman, 2012, 2019b).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Strengthening Sisters: How Latter‐day Saint Missionary Service Prepares Women for Leadership

Lafkas

Fox-Kirk

Madsen

et al. 2021

J of Leadership Studies

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Women, especially those from highly religious societies, are underrepresented in professional and civic leadership positions. Considering how women's life experiences, especially from religious volunteer opportunities, can be reframed as training for broader leadership roles could help address this disparity. The potential for women to learn leadership skills from volunteer religious service is an overlooked, but possibly important, means of transferability to larger leadership roles. The current article describes a qualitative study of women's perceptions of leadership skills gained while serving as full‐time volunteer missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter‐day Saints during young adulthood. Respondents described perceptions of leadership skills developed throughout missions as well as perceptions about how they are currently using these skills. Findings suggest many women perceived growth in leadership skills from missionary service, especially in the areas of interpersonal interactions and relationships, although they reported currently utilizing skills more in church and family roles rather than professional or civic ones. The study is discussed in the context of literature related to gender and types of leadership approaches, as well as Relational‐Cultural Theory. Implications for facilitating respondents' post‐mission skill transfer to future leadership roles are presented. Larger scale applications for women's leadership development are also considered.

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“…Due to the gendered expectations about women's roles, balancing family responsibilities with working responsibilities is a challenge for women with paid-work. The root of this conflict is the gendered nature of organizations structured according to male values and norms and the presupposition of someone (usually women) taking responsibilities of domestic and family tasks [93]. It is clear that personal resources are key for women leaders to overcome WFC, preventing them from feeling a chronic exhaustion, having a negative and cynical attitude regarding work, and reducing their professional efficacy [38,48,91].…”

Section: Theoretical Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Additionally, despite the success in their professional career, women leaders are not granted to be exempt of the gender expectations about their gender role in the family domain. Gender biases and standards [93] affect women and men's professional careers differently [78]. Working mothers are first considered mothers, then professionals, having to constantly prove that they are committed to work in order to advance their careers [78].…”

Section: Theoretical Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

I Am a Leader, I Am a Mother, I Can Do This! The Moderated Mediation of Psychological Capital, Work–Family Conflict, and Having Children on Well-Being of Women Leaders

et al. 2020

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Gender equality is one of the Sustainable Development Goals. Management is one of the jobs that more clearly needs a gender perspective. Women leaders have found a way around the labyrinth to get to the top, which might have developed their personal resources such as psychological capital. Women leaders experience an inter-role conflict when work and family demands are mutually incompatible, affecting negatively their well-being. This study aims to analyze the mediation role that work–family and family–work conflict plays between psychological capital and well-being (engagement and burnout) when moderated by the number of children. In total, 202 Spanish women leaders participated in the study. Results of the mediated moderation model using Model 14 of the macro PROCESS for SPSS software show that psychological capital buffers the negative effects that experiencing work–family conflict has on well-being when having children. The well-being of women leaders is not affected when dealing with family interfering work conflict and having children. As such, women leaders who have children rely on their psychological capital to successfully manage the family demands affecting their work and to reduce the negative effect of work–family conflict on their well-being. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed from the psychology of a sustainability perspective.

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An overview of gender-based leadership barriers

Cited by 12 publications

References 0 publications

The barriers and enablers to career and leadership development

The barriers and enablers to career and leadership development

Strengthening Sisters: How Latter‐day Saint Missionary Service Prepares Women for Leadership

I Am a Leader, I Am a Mother, I Can Do This! The Moderated Mediation of Psychological Capital, Work–Family Conflict, and Having Children on Well-Being of Women Leaders

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