Contemporary factors that contribute to sustaining stereotypes and prejudice against women's leadership - Essay Example

Contemporary Factors Challenging Women’s Leadership Task: Contemporary Factors Challenging Women’s Leadership The society hasextensively instigated fights against gender inequity making the contemporary world understand the need for shunning stereotyping attitudes. However, there are factors that challenge women’s leadership with the most noticeable being practices in the workplaces that undermine women’s carrier trajectory. Consequently, this essay elucidates how contemporary factors contribute to the manifestation of stereotypic and discriminatory tendencies against women’s leadership. Furthermore, it surveys the subtle forms that continue to thwart women’s career trajectory.
Culture is a factor that contributes substantially to the persistence of the prejudice against women leadership. As such, Klenke (2011) posits that societal values continue to build negative perceptions towards women’s leadership. The idea of constraining women to the home environment is still influential. The society observes that women have a compromised leadership because their social responsibilities bind them tightly. Mainly men are more liberal since they have less social duties. Therefore, the society holds that their leadership is strong because they stand a chance of availing their full potentials in their positions.
Additionally, some traditional ideologies fuel the stereotypic attitudes by predetermining men and women duties. As such, tradition assigns women simple careers like nursing, cleaning and child nurturing while careers viewed complex remains a reserve of men (Klenke, 2011). This means women can never be trusted with critical positions even if they exude distinct competencies or capabilities. Such perceptions have made men continue dominating top managements.
Consequently, ideas built by these factors have led to proliferation of numerous subtle forms that challenges women’s career. Initially, women hardly earn promotions since the community view men to be confident, and with strong career orientation. As such, they are granted promotions confidently. Therefore, women’s career route tends to be still at some levels due to lack of promotions (Klenke, 2011). Furthermore, women receive little support for developing their careers. Many donors and organizations fund men; as opposed, to women since they are associated with poor.
In conclusion, women continue to face extensive challenges in their career course. Values advocated by the society through culture and traditions have corrupted people’s minds hence leading to resistance. Unless the society understands the influential effects exerted by the cultural and traditional ideologies, availing equal opportunities will be a challenge.
References
Klenke, K. (2011). Women in Leadership: Contextual Dynamics and Boundaries. Bradford:
Emerald Group Pub. Read More