GV524-6-AU-CO:
Gender and Leadership
2020/21
Government
Colchester Campus
Autumn
Undergraduate: Level 6
Current
Thursday 08 October 2020
Friday 18 December 2020
15
01 February 2021
Requisites for this module
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This module will focus on the role of women in diverse global leadership positions, including how gender roles and norms have affected the integration and advancement of women in business and governmental organizations. Following an introduction to theories and literature of gender and leadership roles, we will address the empirical record of gender issues in the business, government and international security realms. We will conclude with an evaluation of whether and how gendered leadership leads to distinct policy outcomes and political deliberative processes.
The course will engage with themes in the scholarly literature from political science, psychology, business and management, peace and conflict studies, and sociology. Topics and evidence will cover every major world region, and methodological approaches will include both qualitative case studies and quantitative studies modeled on behavioral economics and political psychology.
The aims of the module are:
1. To provide students with a solid foundation of knowledge about how gender-based distinctions and inequities have been theorized, conceptualized, and measured in the fields of political science and social psychology.
2. To engage with a wide range of applied empirical material relating to gender-based distinctions and inequities in the economic, political, and social arenas.
3. To present a range of contemporary societal and political gender issues, which are discussed both from a theoretical point of view and an empirical perspective.
4. To distinguish the effectiveness of business- and state-sponsored policies in combatting gender inequality.
By following this module, students will gain the following skills:
A. Identify and employ appropriate material that contains required information and data.
B. Synthesize current controversies on the causes of gender disparities in leadership roles using the theories and empirical materials discussed in the course.
C. Formulate arguments clearly and coherently in both written and oral forms.
D. Conduct basic analysis of gender-based quantitative and/or qualitative leadership data.
E. Devise and appraise measures of gender and gender-bias in political behavior analysis.
Weekly topics:
1. Theories of gender and leadership
2. Causes of the double bind
3. Solutions to and new challenges of the double bind
4. Gender incongruence and leadership stereotypes
5. Challenges to women's leadership in conflict-ridden societies
6. Women's contributions to post-conflict governance
7. Who governs? Gendered characteristics in leadership ascension processes
8. Gender-based differences in deliberation: mechanisms
9. Gender-based differences in deliberation: substance
10. What does gendered governance look like?
This module will be delivered with (i) a weekly pre-recorded lecture and (ii) a weekly interactive lecture. The pre-recorded lecture will consist of one or more items of prepared content that students can access electronically and must study before the interactive lecture. The interactive lecture will consist of one 50-minute lecture in which students can ask questions about, and discuss various aspects of, the prepared content with the module supervisor.
- Eagly, Alice Hendrickson; Carli, Linda Lorene. (c2007) Through the labyrinth: the truth about how women become leaders, Boston, Mass: Harvard Business School Press.
- Schwindt-Bayer, Leslie. (no date) Women who win: Social backgrounds, paths to power, and political ambition in Latin American legislatures.
- Brescoll, Victoria L.; Dawson, Erica; Uhlmann, Eric Luis. (2010-11) 'Hard Won and Easily Lost', in Psychological Science. vol. 21 (11) , pp.1640-1642
- Bass, Bernard M.; Avolio, Bruce J. (1994-24) 'Shatter the glass ceiling: Women may make better managers', in Human Resource Management. vol. 33 (4) , pp.549-560
- Barnes, Tiffany D.; O'Brien, Diana Z. (2018-04) 'Defending the Realm: The Appointment of Female Defense Ministers Worldwide', in American Journal of Political Science. vol. 62 (2) , pp.355-368
- Karpowitz, Christopher F. (2014) The silent sex: gender, deliberation, and institutions, Karpowitz: Deliberation, and institutions, Princeton: Princeton University Press.
- JANA MORGAN and MELISSA BUICE. (2013) 'Latin American Attitudes toward Women in Politics: The Influence of Elite Cues, Female Advancement, and Individual Characteristics', in The American Political Science Review: American Political Science Association. vol. 107 (4) , pp.644-
- Schein, Virginia E. (2001-01) 'A Global Look at Psychological Barriers to Women's Progress in Management', in Journal of Social Issues. vol. 57 (4) , pp.675-688
- Johnson, Stefanie K.; Murphy, Susan Elaine; Zewdie, Selamawit; Reichard, Rebecca J. (2008-5) 'The strong, sensitive type: Effects of gender stereotypes and leadership prototypes on the evaluation of male and female leaders', in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. vol. 106 (1) , pp.39-60
- Ryan, Michelle K.; Haslam, S. Alexander. (2005-06) 'The Glass Cliff: Evidence that Women are Over-Represented in Precarious Leadership Positions', in British Journal of Management. vol. 16 (2) , pp.81-90
- Tripp, Aili Mari. (2015) Women and power in postconflict Africa, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Shair-Rosenfield, Sarah; Stoyan, Alissandra T. (2018-09) 'Gendered Opportunities and Constraints: How Executive Sex and Approval Influence Executive Decree Issuance', in Political Research Quarterly. vol. 71 (3) , pp.586-599
- Weldon, S. Laurel; Htun, Mala. (2013-07) 'Feminist mobilisation and progressive policy change: why governments take action to combat violence against women', in Gender & Development. vol. 21 (2) , pp.231-247
- Rudman, Laurie A.; Phelan, Julie E. (2008-1) 'Backlash effects for disconfirming gender stereotypes in organizations', in Research in Organizational Behavior. vol. 28, pp.61-79
- Shair-Rosenfield, Sarah; Wood, Reed M. (2017-07) 'Governing Well after War: How Improving Female Representation Prolongs Post-conflict Peace', in The Journal of Politics. vol. 79 (3) , pp.995-1009
- Kathlene, Lynn. (no date) Alternative Views of Crime: Legislative Policymaking in Gendered Terms.
- Ryan E Carlin , Miguel Carreras and Gregory J Love. (2020) 'Presidents’ sex and popularity: Baselines, Dynamics, and Policy Performance', in British Journal of Political Science. vol. 50 (4)
- Brescoll, Victoria L.; Glass, Jennifer; Sedlovskaya, Alexandra. (2013-06) 'Ask and Ye Shall Receive? The Dynamics of Employer-Provided Flexible Work Options and the Need for Public Policy', in Journal of Social Issues. vol. 69 (2) , pp.367-388
The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course. The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students. Further reading can be obtained from this module's reading list.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
Group Report |
|
35% |
| Coursework |
Essay |
|
65% |
Additional coursework information
1. 2000 word group report that includes the link to a group-designed 5-question survey and write-up of the theoretical and methodological rationale for the survey and individual question design.
2. 2500 word essay critiquing one reading from weeks 2-5 and explaining how one reading from weeks 6-11 addresses or reinforces the challenges inherent in the original piece.
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Sarah Shair-Rosenfield, email: s.shairrosenfield@essex.ac.uk.
Dr Shair-Rosenfield
Dr Shair-Rosenfield s.shairrosenfield@essex.ac.uk Administrator Edmund Walker, govquery@essex.ac.uk
Yes
Yes
No
Dr Arzu Kibris
University of Warwick
Associate Professor
Available via Moodle
Of 735 hours, 0 (0%) hours available to students:
735 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s).
Government
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