Stereotyping and women's roles in leadership positions

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a literature review of current trends with regard to women in leadership positions. Women are increasingly reported as having excellent leadership skills. In fact, women, more than men, are praised for having traits and styles that are associated with effective leadership performance. Design/methodology/approach – The design of this paper was a literature review of current research on gender differences in men and women in top leadership roles. Findings – Despite the evidence that women are capable of being top performers, women are still not attaining top-level leadership positions in comparison to their male peers. This paper will consider some of the reasons that women have difficulty in climbing the corporate ladder as well as discuss stereotyping and gender as it relates to leadership traits. Social implications – As a result of this paper, employers are encouraged to hire and promote women into their corporations top leadership positions. Originality/value – This paper further contributes to the discussion of women in leadership and the disparity that continues in having women employed in the upper echelons of corporations. The value of this paper is to provide employers further evidence that women comprise skillsets that necessary for company advancement.