How does gender affect power?

Gender shapes power, from the ‘private’ relationships of the household to the highest levels of political decision-making.  Research has found that people view women as less competent than men and lacking in leadership potential. Men are more likely than women to engage in dominant or aggressive behaviours, to initiate negotiations, and to self-select into competitive environments-behaviours likely to facilitate professional advancement.

Even in societies and organizations that value gender equality and invest in initiatives to reach it, women are underrepresented in most senior-level leadership positions. Men and women have different preferences when it comes to achieving high-level positions in the workplace.

Source: (Google Image)

Inequalities between men and women are one of the most persistent patterns in the distribution of power.

Often what it means to be a ‘woman’ is to be powerless (quiet, obedient, accommodating). A ‘real man’, by contrast, is powerful (outspoken, in control, able to impose his will), particularly in relation to women. These gender roles tend to perpetuate the power inequalities that they are based on.

Ø Gender shapes how we understand what ‘power’ is in the first place

Ø Gender shapes institutions and how they affect the distribution of power

Ø Gender shapes power inequalities based on other divisions, such as class and ethnicity, and vice versa

If we think about gender, we’re better at thinking and working politically

If we think politically, we’re better at supporting gender equality.

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