women in leadership

I do believe that it has remained the public’s opinion that women must “be one of the men” in order to be a prominent leader; However, I do not feel that this should be the view that the public holds. While it is surely reasonable to ask that a woman does not burst into tears at the slightest mention of hardship, I feel asking a woman to completely suppress her emotions restricts her benefit to a cause. Women were given their personalities and emotions for a reason, and human kind would cease to function if these traits did not exist. Men and women were intentionally created to be different, and to balance each other with these differences. Both have faults and values, which is why it is essential that the two sexes work together and on equal terms. While the stereotypes of men and women are both grossly exaggerated, these stereotypes do bring up some important and relevant differences between the two genders that explain the necessity to have both as leaders. Men tend to be more action-oriented and aggressive, and women tend to be more emotionally-led and compassionate. While either side can be argued as a positive or negative in certain situations, it is easy to see how only getting one side for EVERY situation could lead to problems. Men are often seen as better leaders because they generally have an easier time putting aside their emotions and making level-headed decisions, but this is not always the case. Men are also more rash and quicker to jump to violence. For occasions when violence is not the best solution, a women’s softer disposition could be the necessary ingredient. However, because our world is dominated by male leadership and therefore male thought, emotion is often associated with weakness or as “an act” to get sympathy. Yet in a cruel double standard, women that show very little emotion are considered cold-hearted and mean. Political women such as Hilary Clinton are under constant scrutiny to achieve an unrealistic balance of being the “right amount of women”. People want them to look and act in an attractive way, yet if they are doing this too much people believe they are only getting by on their looks. People want them to show compassion and womanly reason, yet if they are too soft on enemies or get emotional people feel they can’t handle pressure. I feel a women’s personality is necessary in the leadership world, and that women should stop being the subject of such close criticism so that they can focus on what really matters.