The role and responsibilities that women have assumed evolved significantly through time. From the study published by the Department of Labor and Statistics entitled “Women at Work”, the report revealed that since the 1970s, “women have increasingly attained higher levels of education and experienced an increase in their earnings as a proportion of men's earnings” (Department of Labor and Statistics (DLS) par. 1). From the article written by Toegel, the author indicated that the percentage of women assuming managerial roles have actually exceeded men as revealed from the DLS 2006 report. However, there is still dismal results that were apparently manifested for women catapulting to the highest positions in the organizational hierarchy. According, it was disclosed that “in 2010 only 2.4% of the U.S. Fortune 500 chief executives were female. In the FTSE 500 the statistics are even worse--only 1.8% of its companies are led by women”. The current discourse hereby aims to determine the importance of women’s leadership in contemporary society. Despite the limited number of women in leadership positions, it is evident that their contribution, skills and talent remain to be a driving force in steering global transformations in various facets of life.
Still, the importance of women are highly appreciated in areas such as politics, economic reform, educational endeavors, health institutions and public adminstration, to name a few. Women leaders have been noted to have the capacity to influence change in a more pacified and democratic way. Their inclusion as members of contemporary organization play relevant roles as means for monitoring performance and serving as a check and balance mechanism to ensure consistent transparency, good governance, and conformity to social responsibility. In some areas, since women have evidently been known to be able to express or communicate more freely, the ability to propose improvements and transformations, as deemed fit, is naturally relegated to women. Also, women leaders in health care have effectively instituted provision of holistic care through their expertise in assessing emotional, spiritual, social, and cultural concerns and addressing the same accordingly.
The increasing role of women leaders in contemporary society is most crucial to further address imminent concerns particularly impinging on minorities: women, children, elders, and minority groups, among other issues. Likewise, women’s ability to balance family life with professions has contributed to their emerging leadership roles in various sectors and facets of the global economy. Women leaders’ insights, knowledge, values, genuine concern to serve for the benefit of many, and their inner strength amidst adversities make them a distinct breed whose importance would continue to evolve and be manifested until future generations.
Works Cited
Schwartz, Tony. "What Women Know about Leadership that Men Don't." 30 October 2012. Harvard Business Review. 27 February 2013
Toegel, Ginka. "Disappointing Statistics, Positive Outlook." 18 February 2011. forbes.com. 27 February 2013
United Nations. "Women in Leadership Roles." 2007. un.org. 27 February 2013
