Do Women Lead Differently than Men?

This is something that has come up in our readings and an assignment in which we had to interview leaders in our field. I interviewed influential female leaders in technology in educational organizations. When asked what role do they see women playing in leadership and what advantage or disadvantages do women face in leadership positions I received a variety of answers. When I emailed them my paper to review I received a number of email comments from participants. They were really interested in what other women had to say about this issue and all of the different perspectives that came out in the interviews. They said the paper had caused them to think more about whether women lead differently than men.

Some of the respondents felt that it was not really a male/female thing but had more to do with differences in personality. Others felt strongly that women definitely lead differently. Prior to this course I had never really considered if women lead differently than men. Research shows that women tend to have more interactive and participatory styles of leading. I agree with both sides of what respondents said in interview questions. I believe your natural personality has a strong influence on your leadership style and that many women have personalities that lend themselves to more open and participatory forms of leadership.