Labyrinth - the Role of Women in Leadership - Statistics Project Example

The Labyrinth Project Introduction Purpose ment This paper is about the Labyrinth, which definesthe role of women in leadership and how they have climbed the leadership hierarchy to serve at the same level as the males. Its purpose is to analyze and come up with recommendations that, if implemented, will create an environment that will favour the emergence of women leaders. Current State of Women’s Leadership in the United States of America The White House Project, in their report Benchmarking Women’s Leadership (2009, p. 9) state that the United States is nowhere near where she needs to be when it comes to representation in leadership positions. The report revealed the misrepresentation of women at the helms of the fields reviewed; they held 18 percent of top leadership positions, the lowest being in the military at 11 percent and the highest being in academia at 23 percent. These figures are of serious concern since women constitute more than half the employees in these fields, except in the military. In addition, more women than men earn college degrees. The graph below presents a summary of women representation in the various sectors of the United States economy. This paper is going to analyze to a greater extent women’s representation in the military, which constitutes the lowest percentage, (11 percent), according to national figures (The White House Project, 10). Women in the Military Leadership Retired Lieutenant General Claudia Kennedy once commented on women and the military: she said that discussions about women in the military should be on their ability to use their capabilities to perform their duties. She went on to stress on the importance of men and women working together in the military to form the strongest possible defence for the United States as a country. To this effect, many women have been joining the military in the recent years. As of September 2008, there were 1.4 million personnel in the US military. Of these, only two hundred thousand (14%) were women. Excluding the Coast Guard, these numbers represent the various arms of the military forces, including the Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and the Army. The number of women is highest in the Air Force (18 percent), and least among the Marines (6 percent). Women account for only eleven percent of the top five military officer positions in the four divisions of the Department of Defense. There were 1438 female generals/admirals and captains/colonels as of September 2008. These included six lieutenant generals/ vice-admirals, thirteen major generals/ rear admirals, thirty seven brigadier generals and 1282 colonels/ captains. In the history of the United States Military, which spans over 300 years, there have been 218 four-star army generals, out of which only 204 obtained their rank while in active duty. Of the 204, only one is a woman: Ann E. Dunwoody achieved this feat on November 14th, 2008. This rank is the highest in the United States Military an officer can achieve. Compensation The Department of Defense has been consistent in the remuneration of officers over the last century. Since 1901, when women started serving in the military, the department has offered equal salaries regardless of gender. This depends on rank and time of service. These factors eliminate women from the list of people who earn top salaries. Causes of Gender Inequity in the US Military Despite the increase in numbers, women serving in the military have been encountering several hurdles as they provide service to their country. A case in kind is the Department of Defense Policy that restricts women on participating in ground combat. For example, women in the navy cannot serve as submarines and Seals. In the Air Force, women do not participate in combat control or pararescue. This prevents them from showing their abilities, denying them the opportunity rise in the ranks. In the long run, it leads to a deficiency of women in the top tiers of leadership. However, distinctions between combat and noncombat operations are quietly disappearing due to the heightened military activity in the recent years. Thus, women are increasingly engaging in combat operations. Another reason for gender imbalance in military leadership today is the requirement of 20 or more years of service at the lower-level ranks before promotion. Not many women qualify for promotion because of the limited time they have spent in the military: there were limited opportunities available for women in the military two decades ago. Finally, the human perceptions that men make better leaders are hindering women’s pursuit of top leadership positions. Eagly and Carli (2007) state that these stereotypes define expectations about men and women; they are not only pervasive, but also influential (p. 85). These expectations are very much pronounced in the military, regarded as a male domain because of the nature of the service. Gender stereotypes suggest that women are affectionate, kind, sympathetic, gentle and soft-spoken, whereas men are aggressive, dominant, forceful and individualistic. Women officers, therefore, encounter a lot of challenges and resistance especially from their male counterparts as they pursue leadership. It is, however, ironic to note that according to research done in New Zealand, military leaders have high perseverance and forgiveness; characteristics mostly exhibited by women (Packard, 2006, p. 11). Solutions to Barriers to Women Leadership in the US Military For a long time, the disciplined forces have been a domain for the male gender. This perception should be eliminated so as to attract equal numbers from both genders. The Department of Defense should make public appeals to both young females and males to take care of this imbalance. They should be encouraged to join the military service as a career and also be offered a free and fair recruitment. Secondly, the number of military scholarships to women should be increased to attract them in larger numbers. This should go hand in hand with increasing the number of military academies for women to handle their increasing numbers. If implemented, this would increase the number of women professionals in the military, thus increasing the chances of having more women in military leadership. Another thing that could increase women leadership in the military would be to open all military units and occupations to women. In order to achieve this, requirements for various military positions could be defined, and interested parties required to meet them.. Advancement into various top leadership positions requires some of the units that are not currently available to women. Opening up all units will ensure that women get more promotion opportunities. Finally, women in the military should be get a full health care package. This should include treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder; reproductive health care, regular illnesses as well health care for veterans. This would enable them stay healthy while in service, hence, give them a better environment to pursue their carriers (Eagly, Johannsen-Schmidt, Engen, 2003, p. 569). In the long run, they would qualify for promotions. This could result to a higher number of women in top military leadership positions. In conclusion, the United States Military has not been providing a conducive environment for women to develop their careers. The recommendations stated above should be implemented to bring about gender equality in top military leadership. On the other hand, it is worth noting and commendable that the military has been providing compensation without bias to any gender. This promotes equal competition between male and female servicemen. References Eagly, A. H., & Carli, L. L. (2007). Through the labyrinth. The truth about how women become leaders. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. Eagly, A. J., Johannesen-Schmidt, M. C., & Engen, M. L. (2003). Transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership styles: A meta-analysis comparing women and men. Psychological Bulletin, 129, 569. Packard, E. (2006). Aspiring military leaders share certain positive qualities. Monitor on Psychology, 37(7), 11. The White House Project. (2009). The white house project report: Benchmarking womens leadership. New York, NY: The White House Project. Read More