Women, Leadership and Double Standards

In a recent opinion piece in the New York Times, Nicholas Kristof explores the outcome of experiments that show that the criteria by which women leaders are judged are vastly different than for men. According to his theory, female leaders in today’s media age have to navigate public prejudices that make democratic politics far more challenging for a woman than for a man.

In one common experiment, the “Goldberg paradigm,” people are asked to evaluate a particular article or speech, supposedly by a man. Others are asked to evaluate the identical presentation, but from a woman. Typically, in countries all over the world, the very same words are rated higher coming from a man.

One lesson from this research is that promoting their own successes is a helpful strategy for ambitious men. But these experiments demonstrate that for women to highlight their accomplishments is seen as negative – and that other women seem even more put off by self-promoting females than men. This, Kristof argues, creates a huge challenge for ambitious women in politics or business: If they’re self-effacing, people find them unimpressive, but if they talk up their accomplishments, they come across as ‘pushy’ and boastful. When it comes to leadership and women, he concludes, there is a trade-off in qualities that doesn’t exist for men; ‘a woman can be perceived as competent or as likable, but not both.’

According to studies of female leaders in village councils in India by M.I.T. Economist Professor Esther Duflo, despite the fact that the women ran the villages better than men, took fewer bribes and better maintained the wells, ordinary villagers themselves judged the women as having done a worse job. This prejudice appeared to be overcome after voters actually saw female leaders in action, eventually rating them the same as men, which suggested, said Duflo, that ‘exposure reduces prejudice’.

While her competence has never been made an issue, the focus of much of the media on the clothing, appearance and female related parodying of US Presidential aspirant, Hillary Rodham Clinton, has highlighted this conundrum of how women in leadership are judged. “It’s an uphill struggle to be judged both a good woman and a good leader,” says Rosabeth Moss Kanter, a Harvard Business School professor and an expert on women in leadership.

In the workplace, too often the assumption is that women should learn from and emulate their male bosses. Yet most women find little value in becoming male clones and would rather leave a company to find a more authentic job role or even start their own business. In the UK currently, only 13 executive directors in the FTSE top 100 companies are women, the lowest level for 9 years. When only 20% of women are promoted into leadership roles, how open in reality is the diverse talent pipeline and at what cost to employers is narrowing its flow?

Working twice as hard to be considered just as good is tiring. Ironically, women who have to prove themselves twice as much as men may be forced to develop a level of steeliness and inflexibility that undermines the positive contribution that their femininity brings. Celebrated on 8th March, International Women's Day is the global day connecting all women around the world and inspiring them to achieve their full potential. We take this opportunity to salute women everywhere who are facing and meeting, with the grace and resilience it takes, the challenge of making it in a man’s world.

In this issue of ReConnect Africa, we take a closer look at Africans around Europe and preview the HEC School of Management’s Africa Week in France, while journalist Reggie Tagoe reviews the activities of Italy’s Ghanaian community in 2007.

We speak to Alternative’s founder Pauline Brobbey about the inspiration behind her distinctive designs and report on the powerful new film, ‘Son of Man’, which re-tells the story of Jesus against a background of modern day Africa.

Changing the perception of Africa as an investment destination is an ongoing battle and we report on a recent conference in London to showcase Africa’s rising opportunities.

Our Career Coach addresses the vexing problem of how to present unemployment in a positive light while in this month’s ‘5 Minute Interview’, Helen Tucker (formerly Dupigny) shares her lessons about making positive choices.

In recognition of International Women’s Day, our selection this month from the ReConnect Africa Archives, is the report on the powerful and inspiring message of Nobel Laureate Professor Wangari Maathai at the African Diaspora and Development Day held in London in 2005.

March sees a tremendous range of events taking place in the UK and overseas and our Events listing offers you a wide variety of things to do.

As ever, we report on news from the UK and around the world and bring you an overview of news from across the African continent.

Thank you to those of you who have registered onto the ReConnect Forum and posted your comments; we look forward to many more of you joining us and making connections! The winner of the prize on offer in February (“Under the Tree of Talking”, edited by Onyekachi Wambu) is Timothy Ogene.

This month, we are offering a chance to win a ‘day name’ T-shirt from the fabulous range designed by Pauline Brobbey of Alternatives.

Register free on the Forum now  and post your comments to be included in the draw for a free T-shirt. One of our registered users and commentators on the Forum will be selected on March 25th to receive a T-shirt.

Enjoy this issue - and write in and share your comments!