Women and the Labyrinth of Leadership

 The running head: WOMEN AND THE LABYRINTH OF LEADERSHIP 1
Women and the Labyrinth of Leadership
Student
University
WOMEN AND THE LABYRINTH OF LEADERSHIP 2
Women and the Labyrinth of Leadership
We are confident in our own tolerance and each of us considers himself/herself as a
person without prejudices. But is it true? The stereotypes are imposed on us from our
childhood, and we may even be unaware of them. It has been believed for a long time that the
role of a woman in the society is only to keep house and to take care of her husband and
children. Nevertheless, the Feminist Movement became a vivid example of what women can
achieve if they want to. However, what do we see today? A man still cannot share his throne
with a woman. How many women have you seen in top management positions? Was it easy
for them to get these positions? The statistics and the psychological researches described in
the article Women and the Labyrinth of Leadership by Alice H. and Linda L. Carli (2007)
show us that for many years the situation of working women was very difficult and even
today, there are still many problems to be solved in order to ensure this equality in the
society.
The article Women and the Labyrinth of Leadership truly impressed me, because I have
always thought that the modern society is devoid of all kinds of stereotypes and prejudices
against women. The rant about equality entrenched in the minds of people too deep to make
them pay attention to what is really going on. Scientific studies have shown that over the
years, women have got a lot less money for the same work the men do. Although, in general,
the article is positive and encouraging; there are a lot of accents placed on the idea that the
men will never completely come to terms with the fact that women will stay with them on the
same level. There are a large number of quotations and metaphors in the article related to the
fact that a woman has to achieve the desired by a very hard work. Women’s career is
compared with a labyrinth with a huge number of turns and forks in the road, but not
everybodyis able to achieve the goal. I liked the idea that in this labyrinth, you have to look 
WOMEN AND THE LABYRINTH OF LEADERSHIP 3
from the top to cover all the nuances, all the possible obstacles, and ways to overcome them.
As a result, reaching the desired height will be much simpler and faster.
However, the statistics speaks for the improvement; this fact relates to the ideas we
mentioned in class. The researches have shown that the position of women in the workplace
is gradually improving. In my opinion, it is possible because of the restlessness of the female
nature. As the sex discrimination is prohibited by law, women often use this fact to move up
the career ladder. What else can they do if the management does not want to notice their
achievements, does not consider their opinion, and does not take into account their
suggestions? As an example, this article includes a quote of the vice-president of a large
company (she describes the reaction of the authorities to women’s offer): “It immediately
gets lost in the conversation. Then two minutes later, a man makes the same suggestion, and
it's 'Wow! What a great idea! 'And you sit there and think,' What just happened? '” (Alice H.
and Linda L. Carli, 2007, p.70).
In general, the article advises to give women a chance to show their ability, to reach
their full potential. To achieve this, there are some useful tips in the article that would give
women a chance to hold higher positions. We are proposed to disseminate the information
that we still live in an unequal society, to do everything to dispel people”s ideas that a woman
cannot be a leader, to use the services of advertising companies to occupy a prestigious
position. It is important to try to make a team consisted of the equal number of men and
women, to be patient with those who have to spend more time with the family, to give people
a second chance, and so on. I would like to add to this list that men should not look at women
as at the emotional bombs. I mean that the woman in the family can afford everything she
wants, but the woman at work (especially in a managerial position) often behaves even more
worthy than a lot of men. Considering this statement, some men should take over many
feminine qualities to solve the problem of gender differences in the workplace.
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Traditionally considered feminine qualities are curiosity, compassion, gentleness,
meekness, and responsibility. Are they bad for the leadership? Brute force and aggressiveness
are not always well accepted by people; therefore, to bring in the harsh world of business a
bit of softness and femininity would be both useful and effective. From my point of view, it is
possible to achieve this with a positive and friendly attitude towards people. It seems to me
that in recent years, people are too bli