Does Culture Really Affect The Women In Leadership, Or Is It An Excuse?
Business APAC
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Historically, there were many powerful women leaders. The culture barriers did not affect their success but yet today women struggle for fair opportunities. Culture seems to have played an important role in women’s lives. The way it affects the opportunities women have or we can say the limitations women have are all connected to culture. Women have always been told to focus more on home responsibilities and limited their access to the outside world. This has resulted in the lack of participation of women in leadership.
As the years have passed, the culture has modified or we can say women snatched their equal rights for making it possible for them to have a place in the working sector. Women have been excelling in all the fields they enter. Regardless of gender barriers, women are trying to create a space for them. Equal rights are given to women, yet we see them struggle for the fair chance. The updated society needs an updated culture. Men have outnumbered women and deprived them of a fair chance of leadership.
Equal number is not equality
Some people confuse the word ‘equality’ with ‘equal number’. Do not flood your office with female employees. When it comes to equality, women deserve an equal chance and value, not an equal number of co-workers. The way women are treated at work should not be gender-biased. The feedback of the workers would be beneficial for this. You can ask them about how they feel working in the environment and the changes they wish to see. Considering all this would create a beneficial platform. If your company lacks women’s participation address the issue. Study the problems and execute the proper solution to include more participation. Creating a women-friendly environment is not a big task. Stop treating women as special and treat them as normal human beings for starters.
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Change it and maintain it
Ask questions such as “what’s the best organization you can imagine? What behaviors do we need to change? What opportunities might we be missing if we don’t change?” Taking actions to create change is easy but maintaining it is where the work starts. You cannot just plant a seed and expect it to grow perfectly. All the changes should be maintained properly. The senior leaders play an important role here. The seniors must know what is going on in the workspace and if all the employees are satisfied with the environment or not. Google’s leadership team, for example, has published research reports that recognize that their female employees can benefit from many kinds of perks that focus on their specific needs, from expectant mothers parking to maternity leaves. The executives at Google took this information and acted on it, all in an attempt to remedy deep-lying cultural issues. These changes may seem minor but prove important for the women-friendly environment.