Although this article is a bit dated, going back to 2009 I found its contents not only interesting but relevant to college life. With that in mind I decided to write about it. It discusses how more and more women are taking up the role of dean in business schools around the United States. It is an upcoming trend that seems to be increasing. In 2009 17% of all business school deans were women, which is only increasing each year as more and more of the faculty positions of these schools are taken up by women.
They still face an enormous amount of prejudice being women, which makes the position harder, but maybe it makes these women better leaders being able to face such adversity. In one example the article gives a fellow faculty member had told the women dean that she had a lot of baggage, because she has 3 children. No one would have made such a comment to her if she weren't a women. With that in mind maybe it makes her a stronger leader being able to juggle her personal life and a high stress leadership job like this one.
My questions to the group are do you think being a women makes a job like this more difficult? Why do you think people are less accepting of women in leadership positions like this one? Do you think that more women should take on these leadership roles?
Personally, I think that high stress leadership roles like this one would be more difficult for women. I think this because of how much adversity they face by mainly male faculty members. I also think this because if these women are mothers it does take away from their family making the job even more stressful. However, with that in mind I think by taking on these roles they are being good role models for their children and other women who want leadership roles in business. I think having a women dean in the college of business would increase my motivation to make it to a leadership level like that. I think people are less accepting of women in leadership positions because a lot of people still have that old fashion mind set that women are only meant to stay at home and take care of the children. I think times are changing and with that in mind I really hope that more women take on these leadership roles and show everyone what we are worth. The mindset and adversity won't change until women prove it wrong. What does everyone else think?
Danielle Sparacino
Being a leader is a very stressful and demanding job at times, although it can be very rewarding. I believe that a woman would be a better leader than a man in a role as a dean at a school, especially at the elementary level. This is because women are more nurturing and know how to handle children, especially if you’re a mother as well. Women should arise and take on these opportunities. Since there is still a perception that women can't take on such demanding roles this should encourage women to be up for the challenge and show the doubters they can accomplish anything they set their minds too.
ReplyDeleteComment by: Mitchell Terry
Firstly, I don't think being a woman makes the job itself more difficult. The working environment is more difficult for women because while people are growing more accustomed to women in seats of power, they're still expected to not only hold down a full time career, but also still be a full time mother. Unfortunately that double standard still seems to exist today, but it is slowly changing away from that.
ReplyDelete-Geoffrey Ali