I never wanted to get to this conclusion, but I kind of did! Being a leader is hard, and being a female leader is even harder! I think is important to keep in mind that this statement and believe can be seen differently. In other hand it is really important where ( company, country) you are a leader and who are you working with. Some female might never experience this, and some might…
For the past several weeks I have been having trouble with this issue, being a female leader and trying to be seen and accepted as a good and strong leader. I am a president of a cultural group, Resident Assistant, student Staff at an office, active in social issues, and a student! In other words I am active in leadership positions, and I knew that I am doing a good job at it. Up to this point I knew people accept me in this role and I am very lucky that my gender is outside of the equation.
More in specific I have been observing things in the group that I am the president of. Out of 7 board members, 2 of us are female. It never occurred to me that I will be seen differently as a leader because of my gender, the way my body is, or the way I carry myself and my body. I always work extremely hard to make everything ready for our meetings and events, and even sometimes I have to do the job of others too. Just because I care a little more, sometimes know more, or take thing more seriously. But I have noticed that sometimes (not often!) people within the group don’t take me and what I say as seriously, and when a male says the same thing then they listen! This whole situation was making me wonder!
Several weeks ago during one of our event one of the general members called the group and specifically me lazy and some other inappropriate name. At the moment t I just lost it! I could not just stand there and let him tell me things just because of I am a female. Knowing how he viewed female, and his characteristic made this different. Therefore I was almost sure that one of the reasons that I was being called out is because of my gender. I tried to keep my voice calm and answer him back politely. I told him that he has seen me work so hard to make things happen, and he knows that I don’t just seat around and I am constantly trying to do something and add to the club. I told him that he has no right to call me or my group lazy and any other negative name.
After this incident, I have been thinking about it constantly. That why my gender should affect the way people see me and my work? Why they think because my body is structured differently they can think I am incapable of doing something? or doing it as good as other people, or in many cases even better. I hope one day, all over the world, leaders can be seen and appreciated for the job they do and not the place they are from or their gender.
Unruly Bodies 
When I was driving around yesterday evening, the radio jockeys were talking about a study that said both male and female participants would not want a woman as a manager. They were just talking for a few minutes between songs, so they didn’t get into any details as to if those surveyed stated the reasoning behind their responses. The male RJ, who attributed these findings to the use of fear to manage one’s employees, invited managers who identified as women to call into the show and talk about their experiences as leaders. I wish I would have had the time to listen to the rest of the show and hear what women thought of working as managers and what skills they employed to effectively lead and relate to their employees.
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