1. WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP
By Selvina &
Katharina
12 th Feb 2013

2. HYPOTHESIS
“The demands placed on leaders in
today‟s world means that women are
more suited to those roles.”
(Course Study Guide, 2012-13, p.8)

3. LEADERSHIP
Leadership is a diver se process which has dif ferent significance for
dif ferent individuals.
Some of the main characteristics of a leader :
1. Interpersonal Sk ills – maintain good relationship
2. Communication Sk ills – good listener and speaker
3. Values – respect the group without favouritism
4. Organisational Consciousness – break barrier to achieve goals
5. Confidence – adopt a measured approach whilst under pressure
6. Creativity Sk ills – innovate and instigate a problem solving mind-set
7. Achieving Results – accomplish the goals by motivating the
workforce
( M o n ey - Z i n e . c om , 2 010 )

4. STATISTICS
Women In Leadership – The U.S. Is Behind The Rest Of The World
Source: Grant Thornton international business report 2012

5. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS REPORT 2012
 The Quota that is being implemented by the European Union
expects an increase of the number of women in the senior
management roles.
 However, Grant Thornton, one of the world‟s leading
organisations of independent assurance, tax and advisory,
provides a report that shows that there was no progress since
2004:
Percentage of Women in management positions globally:
 2004 - 19%
 2007 - 24%
 2009 - 24%
 2011 - 20%
 2012 - 21%
 Source: Grant Thornton international business report 2012

6. PRO
WOMEN IN
LEADERSHIP

7. WOMEN‟S UNIQUE LEADERSHIP CHARACTERISTICS
Caliper, a management consulting firm in New Jer sey, identified four
specific statements about women's leader ship qualities :
1. Women leader s are more per suasive than their male
counterpar ts.
2. When feeling the sting of rejection, women leaders learn from
adversity and carr y on with an “I'll show you” attitude.
3. Women leader s demonstrate an inclusive, team-building
leader ship style of problem solving and decision making.
4. Women leader s are more likely to ignore rules and take risks.
(Caliper, 2013)

8. “I believe this study shows that for a woman to become a leader
today, she has to fight harder against the status quo, which
requires her to be more focused and determined.”
Mara Swan,
Chief People Of ficer for Molson Coor s

9. WOMEN & LEADERSHIP
“ Women bring diversity of thought, experiences and behaviors which
are a critical component of business success. ”
For some organisations, it is crucial to have women on board as they
bring a lot of competitive advantages.
To be able to see women in leading and senior management roles,
companies need to:
1. Recruit more female staf f
2. Develop their skills
3. Retain them
4. Ensure of having the right suppor t
5. Provide them oppor tunities to apply for senior roles
(Primonovo , 201 2)

10. WHY WOMEN MAKE BETTER BOSSES
A recent UK survey published in the Journal of Business
Research proved that women make better bosses.
1. By Leading in a more democratic way
2. By allowing staf f participation in decision -making
 Having women in leadership roles increases the
communication between management and employees.
 The consultation of individual employee feedback leads to
more ef ficient organisational structures
(D. Mielach, Business News Daily, 2012)

11. Some of the most powerful women
leaders of today and in history:
(H. Whipps, 2008)

12. QUEEN ELIZABETH II
Q U E E N O F T H E B R I T I S H C O M M O N W E A LT H F O R 5 6 Y E A R S

13. INDIRA GANDHI
I N D I A‟ S P R I M E M I N I S T E R F R O M 1 9 6 6 - 1 97 7 A N D 1 9 8 0 - 1 9 8 4

14. OPRAH WINFREY
AMERICAN MEDIA PROPRIETOR, ACTRESS, PRODUCER & SHOW HOST

15. MARGARET THATCHER
B R I TA I N ‟ S F I R S T P R I M E M I N I S T E R I N 1 9 7 9 , S E R V I N G T H E C O U N T R Y U N T I L 1 9 9 0

16. ANGELA MERKEL
T H E C H A N C E L LO R O F G E R M A N Y, F O R B E S ‟ C U R R E N T M O S T P O W E R F U L W O M A N
IN THE WORLD

17. ELLEN JOHNSON-SIRLEAF
A F R I C A‟ S F I R S T E L E C T E D F E M A L E H E A D O F S TAT E I N 2 0 0 5

18. BARRIERS
FOR WOMEN IN
LEADERSHIP
POSITIONS

19. THE GLASS CEILING - WOMEN IN MANAGEMENT
“The „Glass Ceiling‟ (…) is the unseen, yet unbreachable barrier that
keeps minorities and women from rising to the upper rungs of the
corporate ladder, regardless of their qualifications or achievements.”
(The Federal Glass Ceiling Commission, 1995)

20. THE GLASS CEILING - EU
Women continue to face glass ceilings at the top levels of
companies.
Current gender division of EU company boards:
 Men: 86.3% (board members) / 96.8% (boardroom chairs)
 Women: 13.7% (board members) / 3.2% (boardroom chairs)
 In the UK, 16% of board members are women
this is above the EU average of 13.7%
 EU is proposing a rule to get 40% of senior posts filled by women
At the current average rise, it would take around 40 more years to even
get close to at least 40% of both genders in boardrooms
( V. Re d i n g , T h e G u a rd i a n , 2 01 2 )

21. FACTS & FIGURES
 “Over half of college gradu ates but less than a quar ter of full professor s
and a fif th of college preside nts are female.”
 “In manageme nt, women account for about a third of M.B.A . classe s, but
only 2 percent of For tune 500 CEOs, 6 perc ent of top earner s, 8 percent of
top leader sh ip positions, and 16 percent of board director s and corporate
of ficer s.”
 “In law, women constitute about half of new entrants to the profession, but
less than a fif th of law firm par tner s, feder a l judges, law school dean s,
and For tune 500 gener al counsels.”
 “Half the students in divinity school are women, but they account for only 3
percent of the pastor s of large congregations in protestant churches that
have been ordaining women for decad es .”
(Rhode & Kellermann, Women and Leadership, 2007)

22. BARRIERS
Women‟s careers may be influenced by various factors
 External demands, such as caring responsibilities of children
or parents
 Fewer role models that demonstrate how to lead in a style
they can relate to
 stereotypical leaders tend to be male
 Lower expectations than men
Where a man might say: „I deserve that leadership position„, a
woman is more likely to think: „Am I good enough?'
(Primonovo, 201 2 and Shirlaws, 2009)

23. BARRIERS
Often, women don‟t agree with the behaviour which can be
found higher up in many organisations and that it takes too
much energy to compete against their male peers
Contributed to the increase of female entrepreneurs who have exited
the corporate rat race to develop their own successful businesses
Female entrepreneurs are getting younger because they are making
the decision to exit sooner
(Shirlaws, 2009)

24. BARRIERS FACED BY WOMEN
Many women still face barriers when seeking to advance in their
organizations.
The factors faced by women are:
1. Gender bias – continuous prejudice towards women‟s
abilities
2. Lack of buy -in – underestimation of importance of gender
diversity
3. Perceived ef fectiveness of leadership model s – transactional
(male) vs. transformal (women) leadership style
4. Work-life balance pressures - career vs. familial obligations
5. Lack of networking opportunities - dif ficult in a male-
dominated field
(R. Heller, 2011 )

25. HOW WOMEN CAN GET TOP EXECUTIVE JOBS

26. CONCLUSION
 An ef fective modern leader requires a blend of intellectual
qualities: the ability to think analytically, strategically and
creatively and also self -awareness, empathy and humility
Great leadership begins with being a whole human being
 Even though women are sometimes not seen as natural
leaders, they are climbing the career ladder
Smashing the glass ceiling
 The attitude towards the leadership of women keeps changing
and organisations are seeking for more women in higher roles
Organisations support women in leadership, but there still is a lot of
work to be done on part of organisations

27. REFERENCES
 Bobinski, D. (2012) Women in leadership: beware the barriers . Retrieved 9 January 2013 from:
http://www.management-issues.com/2012/3/20/opinion/women -in-leadership-beware-the-barriers.asp
 Caliper (2013), The Qualities that Distinguish Women Leaders . Retrieved 9 February 2013 from:
http://www.calipercorp.com/Resources/Whitepapers/The -Qualities-that-Distinguish-Women-Leaders-
 Grant Thornton (2012) Women in senior management: still not enough . Grant Thornton International Business Report
2012
 Heller, R. (2011) Re-Examining the Female Path to Leadership Positions in Business. Retrieved 11 February 2013
from: https://est05.esalestrack.com/eSalesTrack/Content/Content.ashx?file=82ab307e -e667-4b11-8862-552d39c822b4.pdf
 Mielach, D. (2012) Why Women Make Better Bosses. Retrieved 9 February 2013 from:
http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/2241 -women-bosses.html
 Money-Zine.com (2010) Leadership Characteristics. Retrieved 9 February 2013 from: http://www.money-
zine.com/Career-Development/Leadership-Skill/Leadership-Characteristics
 Primonovo (2012) Women and Leadership. Retrieved 9 February 2013 from: http://primonovo.com/our-
work/transformational-leadership/women-and-leadership
 Reding, V. (2012) It's time to break the glass ceiling for Europe's women . Retrieved 11 February 2013 from:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/nov/19/time -break-glass-ceiling-women-europe
 Rhode, D., Kellermann, B. (2007) Women and Leadership: The State of Play and Strategies for Change . Jossey-Bass:
UK
 Shirlaws (2009), Women in leadership roles. Retrieved 11 February 2013 from:
http://www.shirlawsonline.com/editorials/55 -women-in-leadership-roles
 The Federal Glass Ceiling Commission (1995), A Solid Investment: Making Full Use of the Nation‟s Human Capital .
U.S. Government Printing Office: Washington, D.C.
 Whipps, H. (2008) The Most Powerful Modern Women Leaders. Retrieved 9 February 2013 from:
http://www.livescience.com/11374-powerful-modern-women-leaders.html

28. J
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S
T
F
O
R
F
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION
U
N

29. DISCUSSION PART I
“Not just a matter of fairness - it makes good business sense to retain and
promote the best talent, irrespective of gender.
Functionally the picture is even more unbalanced, with higher percentages
of women in human resources and marketing than in finance or
operations. Industries too show an imbalance with more women in retail or
nursing leadership roles and less in construction or banking.
Remember how far we have come from the 1950s notion that women got
married, had children and stayed home. But we still have a long way to go
to ensure the best talent makes it into leadership positions. ”
 Is it simply a matching of talents?
( S h i rl aws , 2 0 0 9 )

30. DISCUSSION PART II
Two examples:
1) If a man has an overbearing management style he's
perceived as someone driving forward to get results.
But when women so much as lean that direction they're
usually perceived as cold -hearted witches.
2) On the other hand, if a man is lenient on people who break
rules, he's usually described as showing his human side.
But when women do the same they're often described as
weak.
What do you think about these examples?
(D. Bobinski, 2012