Women’s Leadership – Can They Make It?
by Alit Puspitasari

Women are always considered weak creatures that need to be protected by men. This leads to a common belief that women do not deserve to be leaders. Male leaders are often preferred in organization scale due to what is perceived as men’s superiority in logic, physical fitness, energy, and intelligence levels.

On the contrary, however, women’s successful leadership has existed throughout history. Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt; Isabella, Queen of Spain; Mary Tudor, Queen of England; Corazon Aquino, former President of the Philippines; and Megawati, former President of Indonesia—are just a few examples.

The stereotype of weak women’s leadership is one that has propagated because women have always been regarded as individuals who possess less authority. This outlook stems from several misperceptions, such as:

1. Women are more sensitive, and therefore more emotional and fragile. They are prone to “crying fits” and will hide when faced with hardship.
   
2. Women need to be sheltered by men. Men should be breadwinners, and women should take care of the family.
   
3. Women are less courageous. Since they are often victims of violence and sexual abuse, women are plagued by worry and excessive caution.
   
4. Women should naturally be vulnerable and soft-spoken. Therefore women who are firm come across as arrogant and bossy and will not be effective leaders.

These mistaken beliefs have constantly hounded women leaders throughout history. Despite this, women have persevered across sectors. Nowadays, not one or two but many women have proven their competence in heading large companies, and even countries.

Being led by women is not a loss for men. It is no longer a gender issue, but rather a golden opportunity for women and men to work together in harmony to achieve greater success. The characteristics of a good leader are not exclusive to either men or women. Gender is not a determining factor in shaping a qualified leader. Quality—not gender—will be the ultimate judge of the leadership skill of a person.