Challenging gender norms: women’s leadership, political authority, and autonomy

Purpose In patriarchal settings, cultural barriers continue to influence women’s participation in positions of leadership and political authority. This paper aims to explore these findings in light of the theoretical concepts of “hegemonic masculinity” and “patriarchy,” which explain gender disparities in the occupancy of political power and leadership positions in Qatar. Design/methodology/approach Data from original face-to-face national surveys conducted among subjects in Qatar were used, including 1,611 completed household interviews. Findings The findings were consistent with the prevailing patriarchal beliefs present in Qatari society and Arab Gulf States. The analysis showed that there was greater significant support for men holding key leadership and authority positions than women. Individual-level factors were found to have a significant association with attitudes favoring women. Compared to respondents who had never attended school, those who had completed secondary school and those who had partaken in higher education favored having women in leadership roles. Practical implications As a means to fix the gender imbalance within the occupancy of positions of political power in Qatar, this study recommends putting substantial efforts into increasing the number of interventions underpinning gender equality through social awareness programs that may improve the public’s perceptions. Furthermore, gender-equitable affirmative actions are needed to promote the inclusion of women in power and increase their presence in leadership roles. Originality/value This study is among the very few that have theoretically and empirically addressed the issue of women’s authority and involvement in key leadership roles in the context of Qatar.

Women Managers and Generations

The number of women in organizations is increasing in most countries, but the representation of women in managerial positions is still disproportional. The percentage of women in leadership positions globally is only 29%. Grant Thornton annual survey 2019 reveals that India still ranks the fifth lowest in having women in managerial roles. Thus, though diversity at work is increasing, there are still fewer women in the boardroom. The main reason for this is the hurdles and obstacles that women managers face. The chapter studies the various obstacles faced by women managers. Also, it takes into account the role of generation and aims at comparing the hurdles faced by women managers belonging to Generations X and Y. The study is undertaken with special reference to the banking sector. Major findings reveal that there is a difference in obstacles faced by women managers belonging to Generations X and Y.

Challenges impeding women into leadership roles in a student-led organization at the South African higher education institution

The study shows that a patriarchal society where women are still in the minority when it comes to leadership positions is still dominating. A few studies are exploring the role of women in leadership in government and industry, and very little focus is paid on higher education institutions and more especially – from a female leadership perspective. Therefore, this paper aims to determine the factors that hindered female students from attaining leadership positions and simultaneously make recommendations to create more leadership opportunities in a nationally recognized student-led organization known as the Student Representative Council at a large public South African higher education institution – the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The target population was 16 female leaders who served in the University’s Student Representative Council from 2019 to 2020 of which 13 had responded. A qualitative approach was followed and interviews were conducted. The study employed inductive qualitative thematic analysis using NVIVO 12. Findings revealed that the Student Representative Council structure at the university was patriarchal with little commitment to gender equality. Males outnumbered women in leadership roles. Portfolios assigned to women were mainly administrative rather than leadership. Females were subjected to stereotypical behavior. The study recommended ways to promote female student leadership whereby policy and constitution change is required to facilitate gender equality and the implementation of quotas. Women should be empowered to enhance their leadership skills via effective leadership development programs specifically designed for females to address the leadership gap between males and females.

Fashion, Women and Power: The Politics of Dress

As never before, women are rightfully in positions of political power, and into the maelstrom of mass media challenges to their fashions and their right to govern. An examination of the fraught narratives surrounding the clothing of women in leadership in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States, Hong Kong, Taiwan, India and Indonesia.

Gendered Funding: United Way Board Composition and the Funding of Women- and Girl-Serving Organizations

Representative bureaucracy theory posits that the passive representation of women in leadership positions will lead to active representation of the concerns of women in general. This article attempts to identify whether this theory plays out on boards of nonprofit funding organizations, specifically United Ways across the United States. Using random effects modeling of interrupted time series data covering 15 years, the findings suggest a small yet significant nonlinear effect of women in leadership positions on boards upon the size of funding for women- and girl-serving organizations. This partially supports representative bureaucracy theory, but raises questions as to why there is a negative representational effect past a certain “critical mass” of women.

Gynecologic Surgery and Obstetrics Leadership Roles in Academic Military Treatment Facilities by Subspecialty and Gender

ABSTRACT Introduction Gender distribution in academic ob-gyn leadership positions has previously been examined in the civilian sector, but not in military medicine. Objective To characterize the distribution of department-level leadership positions by gender and subspecialty in academic military facilities in comparison to those reported in the civilian sector. Methods This is an observational cross-sectional study. We queried military obstetrics and gynecology (ob-gyn) specialty consultants, for title and gender of personnel assigned to academic military treatment facilities. Roles were characterized by gender and subspecialty, and the proportion of female leaders was compared to published civilian leadership data. Results Women comprised 25% of Department Chairs, 45% of Assistant Chairs, and 42% of Division Directors. In educational leadership roles, women comprised 25% of Residency Program Directors, 0% of Fellowship Directors, and 62% of medical Student Clerkship Directors. Female department chairs were most often uro-gynecologists (44%) followed by specialists in ob-gyn (37%). Most female residency program directors were specialists in general obstetrics and gynecology. The proportion of women in leadership roles in military departments was not different than in the civilian sector. Conclusion In contrast to civilian academic leadership positions, Department Chairs were most likely to be uro-gynecologists. Similar to civilian programs, women remain underrepresented as chairs, Assistant Chairs, Fellowship Directors, and Division Directors and similarly represented as Residency Program Directors. Despite a smaller pool of women available to fill academic leadership positions in military ob-gyn departments, the proportion of women in leadership roles reaches parity with the civilian sector. This suggests that a greater proportion of women rise to leadership positions in military academic ob-gyn departments than in the civilian sector.

Influence of Women in Leadership in the African Society: A Case of Women Characters in Selected Kiswahili Plays.

Research suggests that women in leadership positions pose different and extra challenges as compared to their male counterparts. Yet, the number of women leaders has grown but they are still a small group that is appreciated. This has made the list of their numbers be still relatively low. Leadership studies have focused on the upbringing and traits of a leader, decision making, psychology of leaders, and so on but less work has been devoted on the influence of women in leadership in the African society as portrayed in written literature. Literature is the greatest asset in any society this century. There is a rich literature base on women in leadership. Surprisingly little research has been devoted to their portfolio influence. Due to this insufficient attention, this study has built profiles of four selected women leaders in Kiswahili plays. It has paid attention to the uniqueness of women leaders and analysed their role and how they are challenged as officeholders on account of their sex. The theory of feminism- a look at the African society was used to help achieve its main tenets like gender equality, gender issues, characterisation based on traits, and thematic focus on plays was used to study this objective. The purposive sampling design was relevant because it proved to provide reliable data for the study by homogeneously analysing written Kiswahili plays. The literature texts used contained few relevant cases where in-depth analysis related to the central issue was studied. The study concluded that women leaders have a great role and have made great strides in leadership, especially in changing the negative perception the continent has on them, that they cannot lead while men exist.