GENDER AND LEADERSHIP CHALLENGES: FROM DEBATE TO ACTION

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GENDER AND LEADERSHIP CHALLENGES FROM DEBATE TO
ACTION

• By
• Dr MMA Maharasoa
• Chief Director Higher Education Policy
• Central University of Technology, Free State
• P/Bag X20539
• Bloemfontein 9300

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Whats new?

• Contestations around the relationship between
  gender and leadership abilities
• Gender Leadership studies reveal convergent and
  divergent views

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The bad news

• Perpetual under-representation of women in
  leadership
• Nations forfeit possible benefits of diversity
• In history only 42 have ever served as
  presidents or prime ministers . (Adler 1999)

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Figure 1 Woman Corporate leaders as a
proportion of corporate leaders
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Figure 2 Census pyramid
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The big question

• Are men and women equally capable of succeeding
  in Leadership roles?
• Qualities of a good leader
• Competent
• Principled
• Trustworthy
• Motivational
• Confident Committed
• Dynamic
• Transformational

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Arguments for degenderised leadership

• Women leadership in pre-colonial era exuded
  success
• Participative approach
• High levels of integrity
• Lack of selfishness
• People orientedness
• Empowering
• (Carli Edgly 2001)

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Sensitive, warm, tactful, expressive, nurturing
transformational leadership

• Men on the other hand
• Task oriented
• Initiating structure
• Competitive
• Hierarchical authority
• Emphasis on control
• (Engen, van der Leeden Willemsen 2001)

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Obstacles

• Management styles
• Socio-economic background i.e. gender, class and
  education levels
• Bias in the evaluation of women leaders
• Higher expectations from women leaders i.e.
  combination of agentic qualities with communal
  qualities
• Work-family conflicts
• Gender stereotyping

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Obstacles continued.

• Womens exclusion from networks
• Glass walls and glass ceiling
• The Queen bee syndrome
• Fear of success
• Lack of aspiration and motivation
• The colonical mentality
• (Mkhonza 2004)

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Contexting the debate

• Sound legislative framework
• Deficiencies in implementation
• Gender inequalities

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The case of the Free State Province

• Challenges
• Free State economy under-performing
• Second highest incidence of HIV AIDS
• Higher infant mortality
• (FSPGDS 2005 2014)
• Questionable service delivery at municipal levels

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• Challenges continued
• Women have a leading role to play
• Women are change agents
• Concerned with the Common good
• Tendency towards lower levels of corruption
  (World Bank)
• Low empowerment of women hampers human
  development
• (Arab Human Development Report 2002)

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Strategies for empowering Women

• Identify and track High-potential women
• Institute mentorship and coaching
• Rotate women across functions and ensure they
  have experience of line assignments
• Take risks with women and offer them visible
  stretch roles
• Implement succession planning

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Strategies continued

• Help employees balance work and personal
  responsibilities
• Hold Managers accountable for womens advancement
• Create networks for women
• Create a comprehensive, sustained initiative.