Women make great leaders

Former U.S. President Barack Obama recently shared a message while speaking in Paris that has many cheering in agreement: more women need to be put in positions of power “because men seem to be having some problems these days.”

“Not to generalize, but women seem to have a better capacity than men do, partly because of their socialization,” Obama said.

And guess what: he’s not wrong, there are statistics to support his statement. A recent study of 51,418 leaders in the U.S. and internationally found that women are considered more effective than male leaders.

Furthermore, a recent Gallup Poll found that Americans no longer prefer a male boss over a female boss, differing from past results for the first time in 64 years.

Both studies suggest that women in leadership are considered to have certain qualities that make them more apt to be successful leaders. Some of those qualities include being able to communicate, connect and build relationships with others, inspire change and collaborative teamwork, and work with honesty and integrity.

This isn’t saying that women are better than men. This simply supports with numbers and statistics what women have been trying to tell the rest of the world for centuries: we make awesome leaders. And based on these studies, others are finally starting to see that.

Maybe women are finally being recognized as highly capable leaders because of the surge of female voices that rose up following the 2016 election. Emily’s List, an organization that helps elect women into office, reported that over 25,000 women have signed up to run for office since the election.

Between the sweeping revelations of the sexual misconduct of men in power and the disapproval ratings of some men in power, people might finally be looking beyond the retrograde stereotype that only men are fit to hold leadership positions.

Whatever the reason, people are starting to recognize that women make just as good of leaders–and sometimes better leaders–than some men.

But it’s been a slow process for women to gain this recognition, and the process is far from over. Despite the record numbers of women engaging in politics, the need for female representation is still critical. As of 2017, only 25.1% of state legislators are women. In South Dakota we are below the national average at 20%, only 21 of the 105 legislative seats are female.

Peggy Gibson, former South Dakota Legislator, says there’s a very definite need for female representatives in our state and in the U.S. as a whole.

Many of the bills that Gibson fought for and often passed during her eight years in the House were concerned with the advancement of women, children, and minorities. And although all six of her bills were passed last legislative session, she admits that it wasn’t easy.

Gibson says that some of the biggest challenges for women in politics is simply be taken seriously and being listened to. Women in leadership positions across the country have said that there are higher expectations for females to succeed–it’s more difficult for women to be elected into office.

But do you know what that means? Because the bar is set higher for women to succeed, only the most persistent and highest performing women can break through those barriers. This is called The Jackie (and Jill) Robinson Effect: “If voters are biased against female candidates, only the most talented, hardest working female candidates will succeed in the electoral process,” and, as a result, will out-perform their male counterparts.

It’s this kind of persistence that Gibson says made her a successful politician.

And this is where organizations like us (LEAD!) come in. We’re here to educate women on how to run for office. We’re here to encourage that persistent attitude that drives women to be successful leaders. We’re here to make the legislature more female because women do make awesome leaders.

ABOUT LEAD SOUTH DAKOTA

LEAD South Dakota is a registered 501c(4) nonprofit.  LEAD (Leaders Engaged And Determined) is a grassroots organization aimed at bringing awareness to issues facing South Dakota, the United States, and abroad. LEAD exists to foster a community of individuals who empower and encourage women to be actively involved in all stages of the political process in order to effect positive change for women and families in South Dakota.

LEAD is not affiliated with any political party or organization. We are welcoming and inclusive of all people, regardless of race, age, religion, ethnicity, national origin, color, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation, or citizenship.