| dc.description.abstract | The aim of the study was to investigate women capabilities in leadership roles and the
problems they are facing in managerial positions. The study was guided by two basic
assumptions which are 'men and women are born equal' and that the national
development will be enhanced when equal opportunities are given to both men and
women.
The literature rev1ew reveals that, traditionally work and family were viewed as
complimentary spheres, each belonging to one sex only. Work is for men. family
responsibility and home maintenance is for women. On the whole, society perceives the
role of the homemaker as the domain of a female. Men are breadwinners. Gutek,
Nakurama and Nieva ( 1999: 16) believe that as long as it is presumed that women
exclusively occupy the homemaker-role there is little interest in the interdependence of
these : two roles occupied by the same sex.
Kellerman and Rhole (2007: 16) state that assumptions about gender difference in
leadership styles and effectiveness arc widespread. The conventional wisdom is that
female leaders are more participatory and interpersonally oriented that male leaders and
they are more to adopt emphatic, supportive and collaborative approaches. Recent
developments of theory have argued that women may bring alternative qualities to
management, which are equal value to traditional male norms.
Stephensen (2005:99) alluded that women's domestic policies be shaped and applied not
just by men but also by full and equal participation of women. However, it is stated in
the constitution of South Africa that all people are equal before the law and no one
because of his sex, his decent, his race, his language, his origin or his religious beliefs be
favoured or prejudiced (The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, Act 108 of
1977).
The literature also revealed that "for women to succeed they need not be like men, their
female qualities can add unique value as far as teamwork, trust and human relations are
concerned. The energy wasted in campaigning and competing, can be applied more
constructively in a collaborative relationship. Women are more likely to use
transformational leadership, a factor which is of crucial importance to organisational
success in this millennium (Ready, D. & Ball, S. 2000:145). Because the women brain is
different forms part of any orgqnisation's top executive team to ensure that the diverse
South African workforce is managed effectively Sayed and Carrim, 2007:91-100). There
is no doubt that if South African organisations wish to be competitive in the international
community, the collective solidarity in African life should find its expression in
organisations and management.
The quantitative researcher chose 100 respondents 20 sectors from both Governmental
and Non Governmental. Random sampling was used to choose the sample size. The data
was collected through questionnaires and analyzed using Microsoft Excel and descriptive
statistics.
The data revealed that women are experiencing problems of being subordinated with
regard to decision-making at the workplace. Majority of the respondents indicated that
female managers are still not viewed as equal to male managers. From some of the
responses, it was indicated that male still view women as subordinates, since they still
uphold patriarchal ideology. Further, the implication from the analysed data majority
revealed that gender issues are not discussed at the workplace. This shows that some of
the significant issues pertaining to gender issues are being ignored. As a result, gender
equity and equality may not be maintained. The following information indicates that
women experience a number of problems at the workplace: 90% are being harassed, 80%
disrespect/undermined, 80% practice gender bias or subordination, 70% are being
discriminated against and 20% being under paid. The statistics reveal that worldwide the
majority of women heading companies are experiencing gender bias/prejudice problems. | en_US |
