Stereotypes In Leadership

Superior Essays
Leadership is often thought of as a male-dominated characteristic, with most of history having males in charge. It’s a stereotype that men are leaders and women are followers, a stereotype in which women are still struggling to overcome. Society has come a long way since the days of servitude females were forced to endure merely fifty years ago, but the world is a long way from equalizing the grounds of men and women in obtaining positions of power. Creating this common ground doesn’t just benefit women; it would be an asset for all of society for there to be more women leaders. It isn’t sexism that dictates this statement, it’s science. Females are the gateway to success, and society needs to change in order to accommodate. If you look …show more content…
They create life. They raise children who turn into businessmen, police officers, athletes. They are, essentially, humankind’s first teacher, leading their offspring to successful lives separate from their own. Many people either forget, or never factor in the qualities it takes to be a good mother. If they did, perhaps they’d realize these qualities often coincide with those of a great leader. It isn’t to say that all it takes to be a leader is to have children, just that women are more naturally inclined to the aspects of a leadership role. Further elaborating with this realization, it goes along with it that women are generally more gentle and peaceful than men in charge. This isn’t a bad thing. History has shown that violence often isn’t the answer. These women who rule do so with that understanding, and the subjects of their rule thrive off of this ideal. Egypt’s first female Pharaoh, Hatchepsut, could attest for that. Without the competitive, greedy nature of many kings, she had no plans of expanding her territory, and rather, built off the idea of strengthening the economic and architectural aspects of the land she already owned (Tyldesley 112). This is the perfect metaphor of a mother in charge. She took her position with support in consideration, taking her kingdom and leading it to success and prosperity. Quoted in Hatchepsut: The Female Pharaoh, it is stated that “Hatchepsut stands out as one of the great …show more content…
Men—for often speculated, though never proven reasons—have always dominated in the political world, as well as in high positions in the workforce. For this very reason, people throughout history have argued that men are better at these positions, and that most women just aren’t fit for such roles. Yet, as the Kenyan Proverb so eloquently asserts: “Until lions have their own historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunter” (qtd. in Monahan and Neidel-Greenlee x). Of course history is in favor of male leaders; That is all we’ve had and all we’re familiar with. You cannot argue in favor of something for which there is no alternative evidence. For as long as men are still dominating, there is no way of knowing how capable women truly are. It’s possible women hold the key to better medicine, better leaders, and a better society in general. Naturally, there is also the possibility of the opposite occurring, and the argument prevailing that men are superior. The point is, we will never know what benefits may come of more female leaders until it is implemented into society. Until then, nothing, good or bad, will ever change while the same process continues to be

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