The purpose of this paper is to explore how women in the modern work force have advanced themselves, and what is known about the leadership styles used by women when they are given positions of responsibility. How leadership styles interact with gender is a question that requires investigation. Things have changed for women at work. Their increasing numbers in todayÆs work force mean that there are more of them competing for higher salaries, more power, and more responsibilities.
This paper will examine how leadership styles are affected by gender, and how women are increasingly perceived as being capable of leadership. Advancement to the upper echelons of management becomes possible only as perceptions of leadership style are adapted to include women. This research paper will present a brief history of women in the workforce and discuss the extent to which their numbers have grown, explaining briefly what that has meant for women, and for the economy. Next, the paper will define leadership styles generally and apply a leadership styles model to the changing roles of women in the workplace. Finally, it will explore how technology may be enhancing the changing face of women and work and suggest how this factor may be introducing profound changes in the concepts of leadership, and the potential for women as leaders in the 21st century.
Even before the rapid expansion of women in the workforce after World War II, the presence of women accounted for almost a quarter of all people in the labor force in the United States (Brownlee & Brownlee, 1976). Hence, women have traditionally made a contribution to the economic development of the nation, and their presence has made a difference in the marketplace. However, until the 1960Æs, womenÆs work had been fixed almost exclusively on and limited to their stereotypical roles as housekeepers, child rearers, and care-givers. Leadership roles for women were few and far between, ...