From Struggle to Strength: Gender Parity in Top-Level Leadership

Introduction

Gender inequality has always been an issue of concern. The main reason behind this is attributed to the preponderance of men in positions of power. In a patriarchal society it has always been men who have dominated and exploited the women. When men and women are treated differently gender inequality arises. It is a matter of common observation that men and women perform the same tasks which require application of same skills, knowledge and experience for which men are given higher remuneration than their female counterparts. This is unethical discrimination of women emerges when women is paid low in comparison with men.. This is an issue of gender ethics which needs to be rectified.

If we look at the history of human development we will see that woman has been as important as man. In fact the development of a nation depends to a large extent on the status, employment and work performed by women in the society. Without the participation of women in national activities, the social, political, or economic progress of a country will be stagnated. Women constitute half of the human population. Contributing two-thirds of world’s work hours, she earns only one-third of the total income and owns less than one-tenth of the world’s resources. This shows that the status of women is in a pathetic condition and this is more so in a country like India. Gender inequality is a stark reality facing us despite the efforts of social reformers trying to eradicate this inequality since generations now(Pawer 2020). This chapter endeavors to show the traverse the path of women leaders from the struggle to strength in contributing to gender parity in the society infested with gross inequality. Besides, this chapter, along with other things explores gender in leadership by focusing on the difficulties women experience in attaining and being seen as effective in top leadership positions.