M2 Reflective Journal Diversity

M2 – Reflective Journal
Powell addresses a number of stereotypes and one of them is that women lack male characteristics, which are much appreciated in management. They are less aggressive and more compassionate, which make them not as valuable as men in managerial positions. Even though female leadership becomes more and more common in the world, women still have to prove that they really do deserve to have those positions. Moreover, they have to cope with various attitudes concerning their behavior and decisions. Most of them are quite different from traditionally male, ambitious, self-confident, straightforward managers cultivated in the world. They are perceived as to be milder more compassionate, less solid in their opinions, have weaker personalities. Even though I do approve the increase of women in business and management, reading this book it has become clear to me that in some way my opinions and attitudes are affected by this old and very widespread stereotype about female and male roles at work.
This stereotype influences my perception of diversity at work because in some ways it shows that men are better at decision-making, planning, negotiations and management in some situations, but I still think a woman could do just as good of a job as a man could. Women receive the role of reformers, support and other roles, which are to follow someone at work. This stereotype also sends me back to the way of perceiving women as being weaker than men, which they are not. In most cases I think that women are stronger than the men. Influenced by this stereotype, they are perceived as having less power to influence other people, control them. Also, they are seen as less respected than their male colleagues. This perception of females was formed under the classical thought that women are weaker than men. This thought is still common because most of world societies are patriarchal. I have formed my perception of gender based on my family. There is a clear gender...