Digital Document (pdf, doc, ppt, txt, etc.)

This research paper on the subject of Leadership Effectiveness and Gender attempts to conduct a focused amount of research to answer the question about the correlation between gender and leadership effectiveness. It specifically looks at the current definitions of leadership and looks at some historical background information relating to the more common theories that relate to leadership and effectiveness. It also delves into some of the more traditional leadership theories as well as some of the more modern day theories and attempts to identify why there is still a considerable absence in top military leadership by female officers. Of the 284 Air Force general officers on active duty today, there are only females among them, for a 2% representation. My claim is that there is more of a hidden bias by men against women than there is a logical reason for this under- representation of women in the senior ranks. This paper focuses on this sensitive subject area, and hopefully raises readers‘ awareness of the presence of this bias that still exits today.

This research was conducted by using a variety of current books and periodical articles on the topic of leadership and gender and effectiveness. It is by no means an exhaustive study, but merely points out there are really no good explanations as to why women are still so underrepresented in the senior ranks besides the age old stereotypes that keep women lagging behind men in the highest ranks. This paper shows that there is virtually no empirical evidence that suggests that simply by being male, one has the corner on the —leadership market.“ And it is my hope that this paper leads to more in- depth study on the leadership and gender aspects of military leadership as we head into the next century. Women are here to stay in the US military, and it would serve us all well to not deny senior leadership positions to those well-deserving women, simply because they are women. 

What do barriers to leadership mean for those women in science and technical areas who aspire to leadership positions? They certainly face two sets of challenges, in different arenas. Two possibilities present themselves: (1) Women wishing to lead in STEM fields are faced with a double challenge, having to leap hurdles presented both from their chosen content area and their desired position; or (2) women who successfully navigate the barriers in their content area are better positioned to successfully navigate the barriers on the path to leadership. This paper examines the primary barriers to women’s participation in (1) STEM areas and (2) leadership arenas. Examination of the two suggests that women in STEM fields are particularly susceptible to the barriers and biases facing women who wish to move into leadership positions. The similarity in the barriers in these two areas could lead to an effective double jeopardy for women entering STEM leadership. A distinct lack of research in the area of women’s leadership in STEM fields suggests that this is a major problem that is not currently understood and not being addressed. 

This call for proposals is based on the unexpressed potential of increasing access to sustainable energy (SE) by fostering women's involvement, recognizing past and current efforts at redressing gender imbalances women are facing with regard to access to resources, including energy. It will contribute to the EU Gender Action Plan, SDG 5 (Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls) and SDG 7 (Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all) as well as SE4ALL objectives.

It aims at selecting partnerships (the direct beneficiaries) which will be in charge of implementing a comprehensive action supported with an EU grant targeting at increasing the involvement of women in SE value chains, boosting their active role, their entrepreneurship and improving their access to energy services. To this end, women will be supported to access affordable finance and energy services through appropriate models. They will also be trained and educated through suitable and appropriate schemes. Advocacy and awareness campaigns will also be addressed as supportive measures where necessary. The main focus of the action is on fostering micro, small or medium size entrepreneurial activities of women in or thanks to the sustainable energy sector in developing countries. It fosters development of private sector and jobs creation in particular for women. The action should lead to implement suitable models which could be scaled up in the future and possibly streamlined into the EU ElectriFI initiative (www.electrifi.org). Synergies with the ElectriFI initiative will be sought for large size projects potentially eligible.

The final beneficiaries are mainly women in developing countries benefitting from the action, but also targeted entities, communities, etc. that can benefit from the expected results. As part of the action, the Beneficiaries must propose financial and energy support/services to final beneficiaries directly or indirectly in order to help achieving the objectives OF THE ACTION. 

Female academics report spending more time on teaching and public-engagement tasks, and less time on research, than their male counterparts, according to a survey of UK university staff in science-based subjects.

The study of 2,495 male and 2,374 female academics at 43 UK institutions, published by the London-based charity Equality Challenge Unit (ECU) on 5 April, found that the gender difference was small but statistically significant. This was the case even when the effects of factors such as age, seniority and contract type were accounted for.

The finding echoes past research, which found that teaching and non-research-related administrative tasks have a greater impact on women’s careers than men’s, says Elizabeth Pollitzer, director of Portia, a non-profit organization in London that seeks to address gender issues in science.

If men spend more time on research, this could improve their career prospects when research productivity is used as a proxy for scientific merit, “which is nearly always”, says Pollitzer. It could also help to explain why many bibliometric studies have reported lower research productivity for women than for men, she adds.