Journal of Advocacy, Research and Education (Dec 2017)
Women in the C-Suite: Do They Have the Globe Enthralled?
Abstract
Women have historically showed outstanding capability in leadership roles in varying societal spheres and periods across the globe. Although grossly underrepresented in leadership, those who take up the positions bring to the exercise of leadership an arsenal of strengths, which increasingly, are meant to benefit the entities they lead on local, national, and global levels. In the run-up to the Fourth World Women Conference held in Beijing in 1995, there was much hype about the issues of equity, equality and women representation. During the conference, the concepts of equity and equality, in relation to gender were expansively discussed. While the conference ultimately called for equal opportunities and equal representation, an examination of the several sectors in different countries revealed that the percentage of women in the C-Suite is still very low. Can one say that women are discriminated against or do they discriminate themselves? Do they get technically disqualified because they are women? This analysis focuses on the status of women leadership in politics, education, health and religion. While these are not the only sectors where women hardly get to the top management, they mirror the status quo in the other sectors. The few women at the top also face certain challenges, including the fact that they cannot make important decisions concerning their sectors without consultation. Those who do so are considered to be acting like ‘men’. Although affirmative action is adhered to in many sectors, in most cases, women do not aggressively seek for leadership positions.
