Women in senior positions in organisations?

Question

There are more and more women getting senior positions in organisations, which is great. The one thing I notice is that the women who often get to the top. e.g. Margaret Thatcher tend to become very masculine. It seems that the women have adapted to fit in with men. It would be nice to see women staying feminine and still reaching powerful positions in the world. Women shouldn't have to adapt to fit in to the top ranks.
What are your thoughts on this?

Answer 1

Women have to 'play the game' in order to compete with men. It's no good them being all girly and flirtatious, they wouldn't be taken seriously by men or other women. I believe that a woman will still have to 'prove' herself more than a man (depending on the job - if it were childcare, a man would have a harder time).

It's good that on the whole there is equal opportunity for everyone now, and equal pay for the same job - that's what the fight was about. I do think that sometimes the pendulum has swung too far - as you say, many organisations have senior women at the top. I just hope that they were picked for their ability to do the job, rather than the fact that they are women, for political correctness. For example, the UK had an excellent Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, who was moved in a reshuffle, and Margaret Beckett was put in his place. The rumour is that Straw wasn't as loyal to Blair as he could have been, so he was replaced. But this is a very important job; Mrs Beckett doesn't seem to be well suited to it. Condoleeza Rice is a good example of a competent woman in a comparable top job, who no doubt brings extra skills to the role because of her female qualities. Do you think she is masculine? Efficient, tough even, but not masculine.

There's a line, with masculine at one end and feminine at the other. Most of us are somewhere in between, with maybe a few individual women being more masculine than a few men, and vice versa.

Men and women generally have different skills, which clever employers will utilise. A woman may not have the leadership qualities needed in a top job - some may, but it's a question of finding the right person for the job. Men tend to be more focused on one thing, more single-minded. Women are good at keeping lots of balls in the air (so to speak!). Different qualities are needed for different roles.

Answer 2

I cannot go into too much detail, but I was once in a profession which had a female line manager and was the only man working in the care home out numbered by women.
I found that most of the work load was put on me, and I believe I suffered from sexism from my Manager.
She gave more support to her female workers than to me as a man, in the end I had to leave a job I thoroughly believed in.
So when women have power, yes they do act like some ignorant men, they become sexist.
Once in the office they were all (Including the manager)on the Internet watching a male stripper, considering that I was the only male worker in the office I did find this uncomfortable and unprofessional.
If it had been the other way around and that I had been on a porn site watching naked women the line manager would have sacked me.
I believe that women are no better than men ethically or morally.

Answer 3

Typically, if a woman climbs to the top in an organization, she has to emulate men just to fit in and be accepted as a peer. Men dominate the corporate world and they often look down on women who have managed to climb to the top. They feel this person did something other than her own genuine experience to get there and so do not accept her so easily. I've found, however, that these women are masculine and cut-throat to others (acting just like a man) and forget that it is okay to be "womanly" and feminine. They shouldn't have to adapt to fit in but then again, they won't fit in and will soon find themselves "out" the door. Remember how men get - they will want to "tap" that if it is too feminine.

Answer 4

I think you're a bit out of date.

It was certainly the case that, say, 20 years ago women had to be VERY assertive to reach senior positions (I know all about it - been there, done that, t-shirt etc.).

But I think things have changed. There is genuinely less sexism about, so women have more opportunities, and don't have to make a big impression to get good jobs.

It used to be said that a woman had to be twice as good as a man to get half as far.

Don't think that applies today. Thank goodness.

Answer 5

To compete in the political arena of today one has to be cold calculating and ruthless.Whether one is male or female. I'm afraid it's still 'a mans' world' which makes the acheivement of some of these women even more remarkable.

Answer 6

I believe it is important for a woman to become emotionally and mentally strong and mature and knows to not let her emotions get involved too much in her work.

I believe women are feminine in their own way even though they act more masculine.

Answer 7

if a woman is going to act all flirty and light-minded - she will never get into a high ranking position, to be the president of a company it takes a lot of work, responsibility, logic, these qualities were always known as male qualities, and when a man sees a woman who possesses them this woman is automatically placed into the category of "masculine women", but it's wrong, this is the kind of behavious that is acceptable and more profitable in high ranking positions, and I assure you that a woman always stays a woman

Answer 8

I agree! We can be feminine and professional! :o) Thought they may have to become more firm looking to be taken seriously in our world today. Seen Legally Blonde? It took the lead character a long time to be taken seriously as a pretty feminine character.

Answer 9

i believe it is quite possible for women to have jobs in senior management, but this has to be balanced by how they get there.
>in order to get that top job, they would have to not have children, or not likely to in the near future.
>in order to keep that top job, they would have to be very vigilant in the company they keep ie mainly arselickers like themselves.
>in order to keep up with their male counterparts, they would have voice elocution lessons so that their voice is more authoritative, or get hormone treatment.
basically, women like mrs t are a let down for most females: i told my children that mrs t was the first transvestite pm in the world.
women who are in top jobs have to be bitchier than others, practice more than the normal dose of double standards.
i could go on: there is little to attract me to these jobs.
sure i like to earn more money, but not if i want to keep my own values, and especially not if i want to remain feminine.

Answer 10

depends on what you think masculine/femine really mean. if you look you can find people that find either quality attractive. besides, no matter what she looks like she still has a vagina. and those things are magic.