*Unit 8: Gender Issues

Question 1

Describe the model supporting centered leadership and provide three reasons why this approach supports the development of women in leadership.

Answer 1

Focus on leadership behaviours rather than practical skills.

Model contains 5 broad dimensions:
meaning, or finding your strengths and putting them to work in the service of an inspiring purpose (happiness, signature strengths),
managing energy, or knowing where your energy comes from, where it goes, and what you can do to manage it (minimizing depletion, restoration, flow),
positive framing, or adopting a more constuctive way to view your world, expand your horizons, and gain resilience to move ahead even when bad things happen (self-awareness, learned optimism, moving on),
connecting, or identifying who can help you grow, building stronger relationships, and increasing your sense of belonging (network design, sponsorship, reciprocity, inclusiveness),
and engaging, or finding your voice, becoming self-reliant and confident by accepting opportunities and inherent risks they bring, and collaborating with others (voice, ownership, risk taking, adaptability).
These in your personal professional context - impact: presence, resilience, and belonging.

About having a well of physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual strength that drives personal achievement and inspires others.

Resonates with women because its built to their specific needs and experiences. 3 reasons: women can opt out of the workplace easier, the double burden (motherhood and management), and more intense emotional ups and downs.

Question 2

Compare and contrast the three approaches to increasing the participation of women in leadership positions and explain the strengths and weaknesses of all.

Answer 2

Three paths to gender equity:
1. Belief the movement is happening, will take minimum 2 generation – not actionable or measurable but necessary first step
2. quotas for hiring of women (e.g Norway and UK laws) – effective, measurable and short term actionable. However can be less meaningful and viewed as arbitrary and may not have long term effects.
3. strategic approach, set targets, and commit resources for clearly defined outcomes (UN Women) – actionable, measurable and effective strategy, however due to voluntary application, amount of work and resources, not attractive to companies and institutions.

From the previous unit, strategies to improve gender diversity on boards:
“a. Consider three board-ready diverse candidates for each open board seat
b. Replace at least one of every three retiring directors with a director of a diverse background
c. Encourage individual directors to act as sponsors of high-potential executives who have the requisite skills and credentials to serve on an FP500/TSX60 board
d. Join the Council to obtain support for your board diversity efforts (CBDC, 2015, p. 21)”

“there must be educational programs targeted at increasing participation by women and human resources policies that support and reflect the conscious decision to change workplace culture that produces barriers for women.”

Question 3

Why do municipalities provide a good forum for increasing the participation by women in all forms of civic governments from elected positions, volunteer boards, and administrative positions.

Answer 3

Because local structures may provide more opportunities for women to make local changes and influence wider structures. The same reasons that Municipalities should take a lead on climate change apply to gender equality.
In Canada, education and health care are the responsibility of the provincial governments who delegate this to municipalities. There is less of a gender gap in these areas which can lead to more participation of women in other aspects of civic society. Localities provide the most direct opportunity for women to participate in civic governments.
Municipalities with broader relationships and access to research and practices outside of their own have a better chance at achieving their gender diversity goals.
However, there are still gaping disparities in gendered violence and full-time employment due in part to the continued gender gap in civic society. This can be rectified by investment in local child care to support women’s employment and participation in civic society. This is attained and administered at the municipal level. As child care becomes more accessible more women are afforded the opportunity to participate in civic society bringing diverse perspectives to support decision-making providing returns for society, the environment, and the economy.

Question 4

Gender Gap

Answer 4

1. Gender disparities across arrange of areas related to basic rights. The relative difference between the genders in access to resources and opportunities, wages, status, positions of power, decision-making, participation, etc.
2. The gender gap contributes to issues in women’s health care and education which continues a cycle of gender disparity as one gender in continuously provided with more opportunities to succeed and to participate in society. Gender diversity is necessary for transformative change and for sustainability.
3. The gender gap is not closed anywhere in the world.

Question 5

Gender analysis

Answer 5

1. Examines issues with a gender lens. Considers various experiences, challenges, and realities through many perspectives.
2. Works to increase diverse gender representation and participation in project and policy development. Gender diversity positively affects decision-making, effectiveness, and the triple bottom-line.
3. Inequality is deeply embedded in institutions, social norms, and family, which may help to explain why there is often a gap between policy and practice.

Question 6

Board diversity

Answer 6

1. Refers to the composition of a board with a range of experiences, perspectives, and attributes such as gender, race, and age.
2. Increasing board diversity is an intentional practice and improves board efficacy. Boards and workplaces should reflect society and stakeholders. Diversity on boards brings new perspectives and is crucial for sustainability.
3. Despite the facts that gender diversity on board improves effectiveness, there is continues to be a gender disparity on boards as turnover is slow and members are not always intentionally replaced with a diverse candidate. This must remain a standing item on board agendas.

“In addition to having board members with particular skill sets and experiences, board composition should also reflect gender and the community’s cultural, linguistic, and birthplace diversity” (course content).
“The more diverse the board membership with respect to backgrounds, culture, gender, and experience, the better the forum for broad discussion, different perspectives, and understanding. Ultimately more robust discussions will lead to broader-based decisions and actions, as more opportunities and problems can identified by people looking at the same issue through different lenses” (course content).

Question 7

Status of women

Answer 7

1. Degree of women’s access to and control over resources. These include material resources such as income and housing, as well as social resources like education and health care.
2. Lack of investment in girls and women comes with heavy costs. Increasing the diversity and participation in governance across sectors contributes to effective decision-making, is critical for sustainability, and has been proven to positively affect the bottom line. The modern paradigm of leadership which is necessary to keep up with contemporary society depends on values-based behavioral aspects of leadership which are more typical of women in leadership.
3. Despite some improvements in the status of women, women’s rights and gender equality are not fully realized in any country in the world.

Question 8

Calvert Principles

Answer 8

1. Developed in 1994. Standards to measure progress on gender equality issues in the private sector and a tool for an activist approach.
   1) Employment and compensation
   2) Work/life balance & career development
   3) Health, safety, and freedom from violence
   4) Management and governance
   5) Business supply chain and marketing practices
   6) Civic and community engagement
   7) Transparency and accountability
   Practical application sparked successor initiatives: UN global compacts women empowerment principles (WEP) and San Francisco gender equity principles (GEP)
2. Gender disparity is an ongoing issue around the globe. Gender diversity in the private sector (and all sectors) is a key factor for driving sustainability for the betterment of social, economic, and environmental issues. These tools allow companies to measure their success at implementing and improving gender diversity, without these tools these goals may not be met in a meaningful way.
3. Despite these principles and succeeding initiatives being available for 2 decades, the issues are persistent and have yet to be fully addressed. Like most other guidelines, this tool is unenforceable and voluntary.