Gender Bias In Leadership: Challenges Faced By Women In The Corporate Sector
Challenges faced by Women in the Corporate Sector
Discuss about the Issue that are faced by the Australian female employees regarding the biasness that is depicted by the organization.
The main context of the case study that is taken into consideration for this report is the issue that is related to the loss that can be faced by the working women after the departure of Gail Kelly from the position of chief executive in Westpac. The Australian women hold only 3% of the total top positions in the organizations. This is a major issue in the corporate sector of Australia and has caused many issues related to gender discrimination (Birasnav, 2014). The issue that is mentioned in the case study is worthy of research as this has been causing many problems in the corporate environment. The structure of the report is related to the case study analysis of Gail Kelly and her resignation from the job at Westpac. The argument in the case study is related to the leadership theory of organizations and the choice male leaders over the female leaders.
The management issue in this case is the biasness of the organizations related to the choice of male or female leaders with the same merits. The previous research that has been conducted regarding this issue has shown that the organizations of Australia tend to choose the male candidates over the female ones. The challenges that are faced by working women in the society due to the dominance of male employees is the main issue in the case study. The female leaders need to face challenges and dilemmas related to the choice of their careers or family (Bottomley, Burgess & Fox III, 2014). They are made to feel like outsiders in the organizations of which they are a major part. Gail Kelly acted as a role model for all the women employees of the corporate sector. The departure of Kelly from her position acted as a loss for these aspiring female employees.
The fight of the female employees in the societal climate of the corporate sector to become a role model is the issue that has been discussed in the case study. The social discrimination and judgement that is faced by the female employees makes them feel like imposters or outsiders in the leadership roles. The society mainly waits for the women leaders to fail so that they can judge their competence and capabilities. The competence of the female employees is judged by changing standards and parameters (Breevaart et al. 2014). However, it has also been found in the previous research that the organizations that are guided by female leaders do much better in the market inn financial as well as non-financial areas. The returns that are received by the investors are also greater for organizations led by female leaders as compared to those led by the male leaders. The female leaders and employees have reach the top positions after tolerating and fighting against the male-dominated cultures.
The Role of Transformational Leadership
As discussed by, Hamstra et al., (2014), women in the 21st century still have to face many issues in the corporate sector related to the working environment. Women still have to encounter many challenges in the organizations that act as a barrier to their advancement. The progress of women in the society is obstructed by many different issues that are related to the dominance of male employees and the biasness of the organizations as well. The major problem that is faced by women in the organization is the flexibility of the working arrangements. The flexibility of time and place that are provided to the employees can affect their ways of working as well. Another major issue is related to equal pay that is provided to the employees of the organizations. The discrimination that is made between the wages of the male and female employees can also act as a major problem for the female employees (To, Herman & Ashkanasy, 2015).
Henker, Sonnentag & Unger, (2015), state that, the wage gap of the employees needs to be reduced to provide an unbiased working environment. The bias of the management related to gender is an issue for the female employees. The lack of women employees and leaders as role models is another issue that is faced by female employees. This is caused by the lack of women leaders who are appointed by the organizations. Sexual harassment is a huge problem that is faced by women in different organizations. This is a problem that is widespread in nature and is reported by many female employees. The unsuitable behaviour of the co-employees causes many issues for the management which includes increases turnover rates, rising absenteeism and lack of productivity (Qu, Janssen & Shi, 2015). This can also cause depression and anxiety for the female employees, as a result of which they tend to quit from their jobs as well. The non-inclusion of the female employees in the organizations makes them feel like outsiders and this decreases their level of job satisfaction.
According to, Herman & Chiu, (2014), the problems that are faced by women in the organization can be solved by the leaders of the organization. This can be done by following the principles of transformational leadership so that they can solve the problems by coordinating with the employees of the organization. Transformational leadership is observed in all the levels of an organization which includes, the departments, teams and divisions. The leaders who follow this style of leadership are considered to be inspiring, risk-takers, daring and thoughtful (Paustian-Underdahl, Walker & Woehr, 2014). They have an appearance that is full of charisma. The leaders have the capability to bring changes in the organization with the help and cooperation of the employees. The transformational leaders mainly depict four factors which are, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, individualized consideration and idealized influence. Inspirational motivation is mainly related to the values that are followed by the leaders, the mission and vision of the leader (Kochan, Spencer & Mathews, 2014).
Conclusion
As discussed by, Mason, Griffin & Parker, (2014), they have clear vision and they also know what they need to achieve from the activities conducted by them. The transformational leaders aim to guide the employees by providing challenges. The spirit of teamwork is given utmost importance by the transformational leaders. The leaders following this style of leadership encourage the employees to be more creative and innovative. They avoid criticizing the employees and on the other hand they encourage them to work effectively. The leaders tend to discard old systems is they are not suitable for the organizational processes. The leaders place themselves as role models for the employees and they also try to follow the regulations that they preach to the employees. According to, McCleskey, (2014), the leaders in this case act as the mentors of the employees and they also reward them for their innovation and creativity. The employees have the power to take important decisions and they are also a part of the all the important decisions that are taken for the organization. The issue that has been discussed in the case study can be solved by following the transformational style of leadership. The management of the organizations can coordinate with the female employees and thereby take their decisions accordingly.
The major issue in the case study is the biasness that is depicted in the organizations or the corporate sector of Australia. The problems that hold back the female leaders from succeeding the corporate sector are the notions of the women themselves about their own capabilities and competencies. The thought process of the society and people around them affect the thinking of the women as well. The female leaders can overcome this problem by listening only to their heart and not the advice that is given by others. The gender biases in the corporate sector can also hold the back the success of women. The opinion of the management of the organizations about the incapability of women to lead organizations tends to hold them back as well. This issue can be solved by women by fighting their way towards the leading positions with the help of their capabilities and change the views of the organization.
The problems related to fear and insecurity also tend to hold back the women from reaching to the positions they desire. Sexual harassment is a major reason for their fear in the corporate sector. The attitude of the male employees and leaders of the organizations towards the female employees is a major issue in the work process of the women in the organizations. This issue can be solved with the help of the management and raising awareness among the employees regarding this issue. The decisions of the society also affect the leading capabilities of the female employees in the organizations. The female employees or leaders have to face the dilemma of choosing between their family and work and this affects the time they can invest in their careers. This issue can be solved by changing the thought process of the society so that women can excel in their careers. The leaders of the organizations play a major role in the development of the female employees. The problems that are faced by the female employees can be solved by the transformational leaders and by their cooperation with the employees.
Conclusion
The report can be concluded by saying that the issue that has been discussed in the case study, that is, the biasness that is depicted towards the selection of male leaders over female leaders can be solved with the help of transformational leaders. The cooperation of transformational leaders with the male employees of the organizations can be helpful for solving the issues that are faced by women.
References
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