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Nitin Nohria and Rakesh Khurana\u2019s, Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice<\/em>, has a chapter called: \u201cWomen and Leadership: Defining the Challenges\u201d, written by Robin Ely from Harvard Business School and Deborah Rhode from Stanford Law School. So, as you would expect based on my area of study, I am going to write my blog post focusing on this chapter. Although many of the stats quoted are from 2006, it is an excellent resource outlining the challenges facing women leaders in our country and around the world. The authors also effectively point to initiatives and further research that are needed to make a positive impact on the lack of gender diversity issue.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Due to the fact that most of the statistics in this chapter were about 10 years old, let\u2019s start with some more current ones: \u201cAs of March 2017, women make up 50.8 percent of the U.S. population. They earn almost 60 percent of undergraduate degrees and 60 percent of all master\u2019s degrees. They earn 47 percent of all law degrees and 48 percent of all medical degrees. They earn more than 38 percent of MBAs and 48 percent of specialized master\u2019s degrees. They account for 47 percent of the U.S. labor force and 49 percent of the college-educated workforce. Although they hold almost 52 percent of all professional-level jobs, American women lag substantially behind men when it comes to their representation in leadership positions:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n These statistics are baffling to me because women are doing everything they can to close the gender leadership gap by gaining higher education, joining the professional workforce and putting themselves in the position to succeed, yet the huge gap still remains. This chapter highlights the barriers women face in this discouraging uphill battle. The authors affirm this by saying, \u201cA fundamental challenge to women’s leadership arises from the mismatch between the qualities traditionally associated with leaders and those traditionally associated with women.\u201d[2]<\/a> Women tend to be locked into stereotypes and expectations that create this \u201cdamned if I do, damned if I don\u2019t\u201d double bind. They find themselves trying to act more masculine in order to be accepted by the good ol\u2019 boys, only to be punished and ridiculed for being too aggressive and not feminine enough. Men also tend to reward women for behaving in a traditional manner as a way to keep them in their place. The authors name these two dynamics at play as hostile sexism and benevolent sexism.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBenevolent sexism is “a subjectively favorable, chivalrous ideology that offers protection and affection to women who embrace conventional roles” and is used to reward women who conform to traditional gender role expectations. Hostile sexism is “antipathy thy toward women who are viewed as usurping men’s power” and is used to punish women who challenge the status quo. Women who appear feminine are at risk for benevolent sexism, which disqualifies them for leadership. Women who demonstrate the masculine traits associated with leadership may evoke hostile sexism, which leads to ostracism and rejection.\u201d[3]<\/a> The emotional and psychological effect this has on women is devastating and often keeps them from realizing their dreams. They end of giving up the fight and further perpetuate the lack of gender balance in leadership because women just aren\u2019t willing to put themselves through the pain, let alone the other risks they regularly face at work.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Women are also constantly faced with the fear of sexually aggressive behavior or sexual harassment by the men they work with. In their difficult quest to be equal to their male counterparts, they not only have to worry about the leadership qualities they are displaying to their boss but also who they might be alone with in the office or parking garage. The current news has been flooded with reports of allegations of all kinds of sexual misconduct by men in powerful positions\u2026Henry Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, James Toback, Ben Affleck, and Matt Lauer to name a few.[4]<\/a> Sadly, this is probably a small representation of the rampant sexual harassment taking place all across America. In fact, Facebook COO, Sheryl Sandberg, spoke out \u201cwarning of a potential backlash against women and urging companies to put into place clear policies on how allegations of sexual harassment are handled.\u201d[5]<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n More is being written about the need for women to have more male advocates and mentors instead of male harassers. In fact, \u201calthough virtually all experts agree about the value of mentors, less than a quarter of surveyed female managers have expressed satisfaction with the availability of mentoring at their workplaces.\u201d[6]<\/a> Women are working hard to put themselves in an equal position to lead side by side with men amidst the immense barriers still in place, which is why the subtitle of this chapter is \u201cDefining the Challenges\u201d. As Christian men, I believe it is our divine responsibility to advocate and mentor women to be able to help advance them in leadership positions and help complete the beautiful display of God\u2019s image, male and female \u201chaving dominion over His creation\u201d together![7]<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n __________________________________<\/p>\n <\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 [1] https:\/\/www.americanprogress.org\/issues\/women\/reports\/2017\/05\/21\/432758\/womens-leadership-gap\/<\/a><\/p>\n <\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 [2] Nitin Nohria and Rakesh Khurana, eds.,\u00a0Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice: an Hbs Centennial Colloquium On Advancing Leadership<\/em>, ed. Nitin Nohria and Rakesh Khurana (Boston, Mass.: Harvard Business Review Press, 2010), Kindle Locations 4692-4693.<\/p>\n <\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 [3] Ibid., 4785-4789.<\/p>\n <\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 [4] http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2017\/10\/25\/us\/list-of-accused-after-<\/a>weinstein-scandal-trnd\/index.html<\/p>\n <\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 [5] https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/sheryl-sandberg-facebook-coo-warns-of-backlash-against-women-sexual-harassment\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n