Nothing in the way a woman's mind works, or her emotional makeup stands in the way of her getting right to the top in the business world or to fill leadership positions. On the contrary.
A woman's emotional makeup gears her to fulfill these roles brilliantly, according to American psychologist Judith Jordan.
Advertisement
In general women possess greater creative abilities, greater abilities to make connections between things, empathy, patience, a greater capacity for feelings than men, the ability to find quick solutions, greater ability to display her humanity and a greater ability to see both sides of a story or argument.
Women's qualities an asset in the workplace
Women's greater ability to focus on human relationships, also in the workplace, leads to better human interaction and productivity than when a purely work-orientated approach is followed and emotional wellbeing of employees is ignored. In general men are inclined to behave more objectively and less empathetically, according to Jordan.
These are exactly the characteristics that equip a women to be better leaders and bosses – whether in participative management or democratic environments - than her male equivalent. But these exact qualities of caring and empathy are the very ones that have been vilified and seen as signs of stereotypical weakness for centuries in countries with a patriarchal system.
These qualities were seen as inferior to the more masculine traits such as individualism, egotism and a more abstract kind of thinking.
Society's perception is greatest obstacle for women
Society's perception of the role of women is the single greatest obstacle hindering women to trust in their own abilities and to discover their own potential. Women's ability to compensate is abused by the patriarchal system, so that women often end up overcompensating – almost always to their own detriment.
In this manner, women keep the patriarchal system going by means of their overcompensation, by giving power to the men, who often don't deserve it, but who have learnt from a young age to lay claim to it, according to a Stellenbosch psychologist.
Black women have even more battles to fight
Psychological researchers also found that black women have more battles to fight than white women – these include racism, sexism and class discrimination. But when black women manage to attain positions of power, they manage very well to retain strong ethnic and family bonds.
Although there has already been a shift of consciousness as far as women are concerned both internationally and in South Africa – by means of the feminist movement and a subtle groundswell of women making their viewpoints clear – it is still insufficient. It will only be when society realises that women's emotional makeup is not merely to be written off as irrational, that society will be able to benefit fully from women's many and varied talents. (Mari Hudson)
Nothing in the way a woman's mind works, or her emotional makeup stands in the way of her getting right to the top in the business world or to fill leadership positions. On the contrary.
Bookmark with:
What are social bookmarks?