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

Women meet their psychological glass-ceiling.

Even though more and more women succeed in their willingness to rise to the top, they still have to deal with a lot of labeling, disrespect and men undermining their authority. No wonder women feel insecure! They start to doubt their own capacities and create all by themselves a psychological glass-ceiling.

Besides the usual challenges that come along with a top function, women seem to be struggling with social capital. Networking is indispensable, however it appears to be easier for men than for women.

Furthermore, women dedicate a lot of time to avoiding conflicts. Men find it hard to take orders from a female, forcing female leaders to calculate every single move, trying to earn the respect they absolutely deserve.

Lieselotte Switten

Introducing a glass floor ?

'Seven years from now, one third of managers in governmental and stock market listed companies should be female.' This strong statement was made by Joelle Milquet who announced a non-governmental bill as a result of the survey 'Women in top positions' established by IGVM.

Even though studies prove that companies with female managers make more financial progress, 62 % of listed companies don't employ women leaders. Moreover modern women possess the same qualifications as men. In general all important decisions in management are still made by men while women represent more than 50 % of our population.

Aiming for equity between men and women, this quota could be a big step in the right direction.

Lena Tanghe

Middle-Eastern women business leaders, not a fairy tale

Even though the Holy Koran has said that men and women are alike, the position of the women in muslim countries is far from equal. In Saudi Arabia, women always have to be escorted by a male relative in public, have to cover them up in an abayas and even weren’t allowed to have an ID-card until recently.

Change is on the way; women are increasingly graduating from universities, joining companies and even starting up their own businesses. The international business world is very pleased because this development represents more far-off venture possibilities in women-centered firms.

The appointment of a female Minister of Economy is part of Saudi Arabia’s proactive strategy to ensure the position of the women in business as well as in society.


Sources: http://internationalbusiness.suite101.com/article.cfm/workingwomeninmiddleeast
http://www.allbusiness.com/periodicals/article /709002-1.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/ 2356895.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/ 4437667.stm



Astrid Thienpont

A business contract or a kid’s smile?

Working women are struggling to find the right balance between a blissful family situation and achieving a thriving working career.

Working women stress the need for support from their partner as well as from their company. Stay-at-home-dads, paternity and maternity leave, flextime and special working arrangements can alleviate the pressure. Some women trade off with their partner’s schedule, so there’s always somebody to spend quality time with the kids. The proximity of a school or daycare can be helpful, but from time to time a nanny or live-in ready to lend a hand is a superior resolution.

Interviewed women leaders point out that it’s essential to work for a firm whose corporate culture completes your lifestyle since it can define your career path and family situation thoroughly. Female entrepreneurs confirm that you should immediately insist on certain values that are important to you when you’re applying for a job. If the company wants to match with your lifestyle, they’ll let you have breakfast every morning with your children.

Most interviewed working women are happy with the decisions they took in life. In the end, it’s not impossible to have a flourishing career and children, you’ve just got to make sure you make time for those happy faces.


Source: http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=182



Astrid Thienpont

Good, better, female entrepreneurial style?

In America, almost half of the companies are majority-owned by female entrepreneurs. Research concludes that both male and female styles of leadership can be effective, although the female style often has that extra touch.

Due to genetic differences, women are more flexible and able to multitask. First, women leaders are less competitive, listen to their workforce and enjoy building a strong team. By contrast, male entrepreneurs believe they reveal their weaknesses if they ask for guidance. Second, studies point out that women are better at empowering staff and give better feedback. Soft female traits turn out to be the key to better management. By communicating a lot more, the staff feels appreciated and is motivated to work harder.

Because of the glass ceiling, few women run the Fortune 500-list. Men see the female managing style still as weak, although male chief executives should better cross over to the “female” style of management. Women have only just started to climb the corporate ladder, give them some time.




Astrid Thienpont