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Gender & Work
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In the 1980s, when I began addressing issues of gender and leadership, there were many open questions about how women lead. Although the social science research on this issue was sparse, some authors of trade books had provided provocative descriptions of women’s leadership styles (e.g., Loden, 1985; Sargent, 198l). These women drew on personal experience in organizations and on informal surveys and interviews of managers. Similar books and articles appeared in the 1990s (Helgesen, 1990; Rosener, 1990). The basic claims in this popular genre were that female leaders, compared with male leaders, are less hierarchical, more cooperative and collaborative, and more oriented to enhancing others’ self-worth. In arguing that such behaviors make women excellent leaders, these authors offered a strength-based rhetoric that no doubt provided guidance and encouragement to many ambitious women.