Women “take care”, while men “take charge”

The qualities often associated with effective leadership are mostly not ascribed to women. The reason for this disparity is very simple; inappropriate generalizations we call “stereotypes”.

The words “leadership” and “leader” comprise characteristics like ‘dominant’ and ‘ambitious’, qualities we mostly ascribe to men and male leaders. Following The Psychology of Stereotyping (by David Schneider) this list can be replenished by ‘coarse’, ‘self-confident’, ‘rational’ and ‘achievement-oriented’. Women’s common stereotypes, on the other hand, are typified by ‘appreciative’, ‘affectionate’, ‘sentimental’ and ‘whiny’. In other words, women “take care”, while men “take charge”.

Earlier research has already proven that stereotype-based evaluations are mostly off the mark. An awkward conclusion, however, was that people who live up to those stereotypes, erroneously presume they’re right.



(Most of the information from the source I used, is to be found on pages 11 to 15.)


Maxime Otte

Women leaders and their typical feminine behaviour.

Are women really working towards equity between both genders? Research on female managers demonstrates that while women aim for high-powered positions in management, they simultaneously are fond of going back to their typically female behaviour.

Wearing high heels to feel more powerful, a quick weep in the bathroom and using their feminine charms to climb up the corporate ladder are some examples where women often revert to. Furthermore the survey showed that women consider other female colleagues as their main competition.

As a result of their competitiveness and thinking flirting your path to the top is way easier , the majority of questioned women would rather work directly for a man than a woman.

Lena Tanghe

Breaking traditions in Chinese management.

Earlier this year, the Chinese State Council announced her action plan to increase the participation of women in national en local governments and in consequence enlarge the number of female leaders in state management.

Following this idea, there will be held a first 'Elite Summit of Chinese Business Women' in Shanghai. Although China is known for her discipline and strong traditions, the main theme of this summit is 'Soft words win hard hearts' and talks about the important role and advantages of women leaders.

Nowadays we can't ignore the significant position of Chinese, female entrepreneurs. With their wisdom, unique female glamour and strong will, they can easily lead their companies through the financial crisis.

Lena Tanghe

Talking about stereotypes.

From the Bible to the Koran, every religious guideline contains references to men overpowering and disrespecting women. Growing up, children are taught that women belong in front of the fireplace and that men must make big money. Why is it that we hold on so tightly to these stereotypes?

Anno the 21st Century, our stereotypes seem to have travelled along. For ages, women have tried to break the cycle, and they did. More and more women occupy leadership positions, fighting for their seat in the traditional man’s world. However, they claim to still be faced with way to many prejudices and disbelief.

Stereotyping is not an issue we can solve overnight. Systematically, we need to focus on eliminating all kinds of disrespect towards the capacities of woman, resulting in a bias-free generation.

Lieselotte Switten

Women hiring women, difficulties and solutions

Nowadays, the number of women leaders peaks higher than ever. Hoping to establish a female-friendly, entrepreneurial culture, they engage other women. This, however, might come with a drawback.

Women rather focus on collaboration than on leadership. Nonetheless, getting things done requires clear-cut leadership, not a circle of friends. Being the ‘leader with empathy’ combines best of both worlds. Furthermore, women tend to keep a watchful eye on their employees, giving them a feeling of unreliability. Handing over autonomy will make them notice that their input really matters, which will raise their enthusiasm and their sense of responsibilities. Though being flexible encourages your employees loyalty, you should never make promises you can’t keep. Be as generous as you can, but also be realistic about what the business can support.

A healthy corporate culture is based on a harmony between definite leadership and an amicable work climate. These two conditions make an excellent, healthy office atmosphere.



Maxime Otte

Marrying harms women’s incomes

Numerous studies concerning the differences between men and women have already proved the presence of a significant gap in salaries: women consistently earn less than men. A lot less discussed are the differences between women mutually, even though they are found to be existing.

However mothers make up the greatest part of the current workforce, they obviously earn much less than their single counterparts. Following a study, conducted by the Bar-Ilan University of Israel, the key reason for this pay gap is the fact that married women, in general, work fewer hours compared to men or single women. After all, in this study, more than thirty-five percent of married women had children under the age of seventeen, which meant they had to give up precious working time for child-rearing and housekeeping.

Eliminating this non-equilibrium will take an enormous remodeling of the infrastructure for looking after children. The question arises if men are humble enough to take this alteration.



Maxime Otte

Avoid these ten mistakes and become a successful female leader!

When we look trough history, we find very little proof of women getting a chance to develop their personality, without being underestimated by men. However, anno 2009, these dark ages of discrimination seem to be nothing more than a vague memory.

Due to the recent development of women becoming successful leaders, there is almost no consensus about what qualifies a good female leader. What we do know, is that there are great differences between the entrepreneurial style of men and women.

Women tend to make the same mistakes over and over again, while climbing the career ladder. Therefore, Shirley Black made a list of the top ten mistakes women should avoid. If they do, their chances on becoming a respected member of the company will only grow.

Lieselotte Switten