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Introduction
Leadership is the ability to influence other people to take a certain course of action. Many people have been associating leadership with positions in the political corporate and social arenas. However this is changing and people are coming to realize that leadership is the influence and role a person plays at his or her present position. The demand for women to take up leadership roles has been increasing especially with the rise of feministic movements. Mothers have also played a big role in environmental movements (Brzuzy & Lind 2008). The society is striving to rise above the aspect of male dominance that has for a long time been supported by chauvinistic views and inclinations in society (Chin 2007).
According to Little (2007) the society has realized that mothers are great assets in the society. Mothers have been playing a big role in shaping the society which was not recognized for quite long. One of the reasons why the role of mothers in society was overlooked is because of the nature of tasks that women perform. Women have not been in big managerial roles of which many people term as leadership positions.
The basic unit of society is the family (Klenke 1996). Women are the central pillars of this source of life for the society. Essentially families are built around mothers and many social theories have proven this right. With the momentum gained in the feminist movements women have taken up the challenge to assume the so-called leadership positions. There are now more women in managerial positions both in public and private sectors than any other time in history. Gender equality has become a common subject. It aims to moderate the male dominance in leadership. Many countries are amending their constitutions in order to accommodate the subject of gender equality (Brown & Irby 1998).
This paper thus discuss aspects that depict women as leaders and role models in society.
The Dilemma of Women Leadership
Women have a dual role in society. Career women have to balance their job and family roles. Research has shown that only a few mothers achieve greatly in their careers. Most women who achieve in their careers are those without children or other responsibilities of caregiving (Akerjordet & Severinsson 2010).
Women play a big role in the upbringing of children in families. There is an argument that women who achieve in their careers and as mothers is not an easy feat and depends on a balance between family and work. Mothers have a common notion that it is preferable to sacrifice ones career in order to raise her family. The role of mothers in knitting families has been applauded but they also have to get a chance of advancing in their careers and help in shaping and transforming the socio-political and economic aspects of the world. The daunting question is how mothers can be able to achieve this (Halpern & Cheung 2008).
Women can be mothers wives and caregivers in their families. According to a psychological research that was conducted on prominent women leaders who are also mothers women can achieve dually. The research was conducted on 62 mothers who are in prominent leadership positions in three different countries including China United States and Hong Kong. The research shows the potentiality of mothers to combine profession and family roles. An example of mother leaders who impacted the corporate world is Zhang Xin. The World Economic Forum recognized Xin as a global leader. She was the chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer of SOHO China Limited. Xin rose to the top of leadership while already in marriage and with children (Halpern & Cheung 2008).
The notion that giving birth jeopardizes the career of women has generated a lot of emotional responses mostly from all spectrums of work and family (Carbet 2003). There has been a strong argument that a majority of organizations in the United States and the world over are losing investment as a result of this. This is usual within organizations headed by highly talented women which fail to help these women in the provision of primary healthcare. However with the realization of the losses the organizations are now embracing policies that address family-work issues. Nonetheless there has been a tremendous growth in the leadership of women. In the ancient days before the 1950s the notion was that women were supposed to get married bear children and confined to the home. This is completely changing (Brown 2010).
There is no big problem on the side of mothers concerning the development of effective leadership styles. We have many women in leadership positions both in private and public sectors. The major problem with women even those in the leadership positions is that they are unable to claim authority. Women do not have many role models whom they can emulate (Singh Vinnicombe & James 2006).
Also social psychology reveals that women have a tendency of setting their expectations relative to the expectations of men. Women set their expectations lower than those of men. Men have confidence in themselves and will claim what they think belongs to them with authority. In some scenarios other women overdo it. They become dictatorial in their attempts to assert authority. This ends up working negatively on their leadership traits and examples.
The complex nature of the business world favors women leadership. The business world requires a combination of efforts and ideas. Since relationships determine the success of a work women have an advantage since they are good in relating and having things done through or with other people (Halpern & Cheung 2008).
The most important skill of leadership is the ability to prioritize issues. While managers focus on doing things in the right way leaders focus on doing the right things. There are many demanding tasks for mothers thus they are perceived to possess this skill. Motherhood can help them become quick thinkers which will enable them to prioritize tasks.
Research has shown that mothers have the ability to separate important issues from the non-important ones. After separating the issues they give first priority to issues that are essential followed by the non-essential ones. Because of the magnitude of events and tasks which they have to handle mothers keep processing new information and responses. In the course of performing tasks mothers keep adjusting and readjusting the priorities to match the emerging situations or tasks. A good example can be observed when a child becomes sick. In such case the mother is forced to forego other tasks like cleaning the house to focus her attention on the sick child. Owing to the manner in which mothers plan and execute their tasks they form a good basis on how a good leader can be defined (Halpern & Cheung 2008).
The Role Model Concept and Leadership of Mothers
Role models are people who have admirable qualities that other people would like to emulate. Role models are crucial in leadership. They are the source of inspiration for young individuals who aspire to become successful leaders in the future. Now the critical question here is whether we have many mothers who can act as role models for the young women who have dreams of becoming leaders or managers.
It can be observed that there are many mothers who have lived exemplary lives. These mothers can be emulated by many young women. Examples can be traced from the ancient times such as the biblical women like Naomi to contemporary leaders like Margaret Thatcher and many others who later came to excel in leadership positions or roles (Singh Vinnicombe & James 2006).
Mothers in the Family and Social Arena
Research has revealed that women in Taiwan play a big role in upbringing and offering care for their children. From history it can be noted that mothers make a lot of effort to seek for opportunities for their children. They seek for educational opportunities which they believe open doors for their children to have successful lives. Carrying the belief that America offers several opportunities that could favor the growth of their children many Taiwanese mothers sought dual citizenship. Taiwanese women have what is referred to as Great Mother spirit which inspires them to seek for educational opportunities for their children. These women are worth emulating. They make sacrifices for their children which true leaders would do (Lien 2006).
Single mothers are also known to be good leaders of their children. They take up full initiative of taking care of their children. Protection and care for their children is one of the most important priorities for women. I can bear witness of this fact based from experience. Most single mothers are hard-working knowing that they have an extra responsibility of acting as both fathers and mothers of their children. The level of responsibility that is exemplified by most single mothers is outstanding. In addition these mothers will rarely accept somebody who does not recognize and appreciate their children (Weiner 2010).
Most mothers are role models to their children as research has revealed. Determined mothers can make a big positive influence both to their families and even those outside of their families. Mothers have been critical in performing different obligations associated with various professions like nursing teaching communicative professions like public relations and secretarial duties and also in catering counseling and many other fields. Many psychologists argue that mothers have an empathetic character. This resonates from the fact that they know the pains of childbearing. This shapes their interaction with other people.
Mothers have done extremely well in nursing and counseling fields. One of the qualities of good leadership is for the leader to be empathetic. The experience of being a mother develops empathy among women. They are also able to perform well in the abovementioned professions. In addition this explains why mothers are the best parents. Most children would prefer to confide their secrets to their mothers rather than their fathers. Mothers understand their children better and often give them a chance to express their feelings and problems while fathers rarely listen to their children and they will in many occasions monetize problems (Sinclair 2005).
In a general sense mothers have good communication skills which are important parameters of leadership. Mothers remain to be intellectual models as far as the inspiration of female leaders is concerned. Mothers who are in employment are exemplary to the young girls and are a source of inspiration to them. They mold the work roles of these young girls. Women who have succeeded both in family and social life become role models worthy of emulation. At the same time this poses a challenge to men (Sinclair 2005).
Many students in the girls high schools believe that their teachers are their role models. Teachers are the closest companions of students in schools who mostly engage with the students. Since teachers are their closest companions students often monitor them and will either like or dislike teachers basing on how they handle the students. The fact that many students like female teachers means that teachers have attributes that attract them. Leadership aspects in high schools have a lot of influence on students and their future view of leadership. This is according to the research that was conducted in New Zealand high schools. This research aimed at ascertaining the impact of the school environment on women leadership (Bauer Fahrenwald & Macha 2011).
Corporate leaders utilize different methods or styles of leadership to lead their organizations towards the path of success. One of these strategies is the adoption of the leadership styles of women. For example in the real estate business it is noted that men and women learn differently. Rosen and Theobald who were entrepreneurs in the real estate business argued that they greatly applied skills of leadership associated with women in business. They believed that success in their business is hinged on the qualities that they developed while growing up. These qualities include nurturance enjoyments of family relationships and friendships and above all by having their mothers as their role models (Phillips Ashby & American Society for Training and Development 1999).
In the United States through a presidential proclamation during the celebration of mothers day in the year 2008 mothers were applauded for being champions of leadership in several aspects. President Barak Obama noted that mothers are champions of the family. The president also mentioned that mothers perform a lot of labor in bringing up their families. Furthermore they have exemplified the quality of love which opens up opportunities for their children (Obama 2008).
In 2009 President Obama said during the world mothers day celebration that mothers are the bedrock of the American Family. He also noted that the success of United States as a country was pegged on the mothers. The president also appreciated the fact that mothers are hard workers since it is challenging to balance work and family. According to him mothers have been able to raise children sometimes under very pathetic or awry conditions.
In many refugee camps around the world women and children are the common inhabitants. The mothers are wholly left with the responsibility of taking care of their children under tough conditions. Men whom the society view as responsible for taking care of their children run for their safety leaving their wives and children predisposed to the wrath of war and conflicts. For example in Afghanistan most men have abandoned their wives and children in refugee camps. This is also a common case in refugee camps in other parts of the world such as in Congo and Sudan Africa. Women live under deplorable conditions in the camps. Thus a mother is a significant figure and model of what true leadership should be (Obama 2009).
I would also take the Million Mom March in the United States as an example of how outstanding and confident mothers can be. The march was founded by Donna Des-Thomases in the year 2000. The major reason behind the establishment of this march was the rise of insecurity within United States resulting from the proliferation of small arms. This march takes place in Washington DC. The march brings a large group of mothers who have shown concern over rising cases of gun violence in the country. The mothers march to show support for the laws which would complicate the acquisition of guns. This is seen by mothers as a way through which the cases of gun violence will be reduced. This also shows that mothers no longer want to sit back at home and look at events as they unfold.