In history, a significant number of women have faced leadership challenges because of male dominance in most societies. Similarly, women in the modern world experience different treatment in aspects of business, politics, and access to leadership roles. In the workplace, men occupy executive positions and only a few of them are comfortable to work under the supervision of women. In America, a significant number of people believe that males have a better shot of positions of leadership in politics, business, and in the household settings. The primary factors such as prejudicial attitudes, stereotypes, and the responsibilities of women in the private settings lead to discrimination in the access to leadership positions. However, policymakers and researchers need to work collaboratively to ensure that women and men have equal opportunities in making decisions.
In the speech titled, “Why We Have Too Few Women Leaders,” Sheryl Sandberg urges women to seek leadership opportunities in the workplace to increase their numbers (Sandberg, 2017). One of the outstanding appeals by Sandberg is the use of ethos, which gives her a level of accreditation. She further argues that although there is a progress towards equality, little has been achieved in the aspect of women in positions of leadership. According to Burke and Noumair, (2015), the number of females in board positions, parliament, and heads of states still remain low although there have been notable improvements from the past decades. In most instances, they make tough decisions to balance between the tasks at home and work in the outside environment. In the past, there were various stereotypes against women taking leadership positions.
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In the speech, Sandberg makes use of logos and pathos as an appeal to the audience and to convince them that men around the world outnumber the number of women in high-level jobs. She is acquainted with the knowledge that women form a large segment of her audience, and she tailors the message for them. In the business world, the speaker has experienced various instances of gender disparity such as denial and her message encourages females to remain assertive and speak up in their careers (Burton, 2015). She develops doubts if her generation would face equality in leadership although she makes a wish of her son being in a position to balance responsibilities at the workplace and domestic roles. On the other hand, Sandberg wants her daughter to achieve success and be recognized for her achievements. In the modern world, there are corporate structures that result in a development of negative attitudes towards women in managerial positions.
It is clear that historical female leaders and contemporary females faced different challenges such as male dominance and cultural stereotypes in achieving the goals of becoming competent leaders (Cook and Glass, 2014). For instance, women in history were overburdened with household chores such as taking care of the family members, cooking, and cleaning that hindered their capabilities in finding leadership opportunities. In addition, they suffered from the perceptions of other women who could not believe in their potential (Tigist, 2015). Similarly, the members of the society failed to accept women as having the ability to make decisions without assistance from men. Based on male domination in history, a large number of individuals failed to keep a positive attitude on what females could achieve.
In conclusion, it is clear that women in history and in the modern world have faced various obstacles in achieving positions of leadership. In history, women were underrepresented in the aspects of politics, business, and education. In the contemporary world, men still dominate in the positions of leadership in both private and public sectors. The social and cultural stereotypes and lack of networking act as hindrances in women achieving their potential. It is clear that although women have the capabilities to occupy top levels in public offices, the vicious cycle of challenges acts as hindrances to their success.
