Present Day Analysis Of Leadership Gender Roles example essay topic

While analyzing professions held by men verses those held by women through history, the concept of history that needs to be observed is a vast period of time. For if all or most of known history about humans is not taken into consideration, then much of present day analysis of leadership gender roles might actually start to make sense. The previous sentence was not an error in thought or printing. Much of modern analysis of gender perspectives in leadership and the roles of men and women seem to forget the thousands of years of history and the more recent, evolution of gender equality, which has taken place to get to where we are at present day.

The key word is evolution; we are slowly but steadily evolving into a better and more efficient society through gender equality. The meaning better society is one that will optimally utilize its best resources, including people. The past and the ignorance reflected from parts of history are most often overcome with generations of thought and action. Genders in society maybe not are equal quite yet, but through diligent efforts and time, they will be. There is much history and time to overcome to achieve equality. Typically, throughout history men have been the breadwinners in a family unit.

Women in the past typically did more of the upkeep of the home and did not bring in an additional income. When they did bring an income, it was usually in some lesser complimentary role to the male. This situation holds true for married couples or single people. Different people throughout the world have many different histories.

An example from Chinua Achebe's novel that takes place within a tribe in Africa during the 1920's stating that a strong man will have many wives (Achebe 20). Ironically in this same novel, it is shown that women could hold a priestess position. Similarly on the other side of the globe in South Korea, the view of giving birth to a girl is somewhat less elation than that of having a boy. In the Korean culture, when a couple has a girl, it is looked upon as if the parents are raising the child for someone else; the baby girl's future husband (Ahn par. 4).

So how can so many people that populate the earth all have similar histories that guided men towards certain roles and professions while guiding women towards others? To analyze the many histories of people, a person must look to the historical aspects of that particular culture. The culture of any one group of people is usually passed down through generations via family and community. Whether the culture is nomadic tribal peoples of Mongolia or a modern day Roman-Catholic Italian-American family, the culture and its typical roles for men and women are passed along through each community. Tradition is also a source to be traced when looking at a group's historical gender role development. A people's culture will usually go hand in hand with their traditional values.

These interlaced values of culture and tradition unite and bind families as well as communities together with one another. When traditions are passed along from one generation to another, sometimes the idea of questioning said traditions never enters ones mind. Some people are taught that this is just what you are supposed to do, while others do not want to buck the current culture. This being said, whatever role a person's gender might have played in their parents life, that role will probably be the same or very similar in that person's life. Yet another thread that is interlaced with a people's history and culture is that long, entangling string of religion. Religion is a powerful source of authority that keeps certain cultures fervent and ensures the long line of tradition continuation.

This holds true for most religions, whether they are tribal beliefs and customs or mainstream Christianity. The power of the "church" in a family or a community can be an overbearing influence. This influence can even sway a logical and educated person's thoughts on the ideas of gender leadership equity. These thoughts do not have to sway to keep inequity in place; these thoughts only need to be kept silent through passive influence. Looking into religion and its male dominated influences, a person can start by looking at a currently popular religion of Christianity. As with most religions, Christianity places the foremost control, in a general sense, on the male.

The Christian Bible states, "It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him" (Gen 2: 18) and "She shall be called woman, for she was taken out of man" (Gen 2: 23). Such firmly engraved statements as these had to originate somewhere for most religions to uphold these and similar ideas. Physical nature is most likely answer for the origin of thoughts like the previous statements. Before there was organized thought and ponderings of religion there was simply survival. With the male being the stronger of the sexes, it would be valid to infer that an ancient or primitive mind would keep this one sided notion thriving through time and evolution.

Time has certainly changed the view of women in society and leadership. The deep philosophical thinkers of past and present have helped the progression of gender equality to bring us where we are today. Progressive thinkers and leaders such as Margaret Thatcher that were, .".. charismatic and successful, but at the same time, bossy, autocratic, overbearing, heavy-handed, domineering, and uncaring", as cited by Klenke via Thompson and Thompson, helped to push the front that was keeping women in the background (62). Golda Meir and Mary Kay Ash are two more women from different countries and different time periods who, in their individual ways, have helped immensely to bring some further degree of gender equality to the mainstream.

Change is definitely occurring, but not at any record setting pace. As people begin to have their male dominance ideas questioned, possibly change will arise, possibly not. If change does not occur within people, they will simply pass on and new, more forward thinking generations will begin to grow. With time, gender inequality will change to something similar to balanced gender equality.

To look back in most any major religion's beginnings at or around 2500 B.C., and to see the vast amount of time that has elapsed to get to the point at which we are at in today's society, is a bit discomforting. To move though 4500 years and still not have gender equality is kind of surprising. One could take consolation in the fact that a great majority of this progression towards gender equity has occurred in the last 100 years. Things in society look as if we are on the right track now.

Works CitiedAchebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Anchor Books, 1994 Ahn, Hyontok. The Korean-American Experience. Personal Experiences 10.2 (2003) 8 pars. 5 December 2003 web Karin.

Women and Leadership: A Contextual Perspective. New York: Springer Publishing Company, 1996. The Holy Bible. New International Version. Starting Point Study Bible. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2002.

Thompson, J. & Thompson, W. Margaret Thatcher: Prime minister indomitable. Boulder, CO: West veiw Press, 1994.