Authority and Leadership

There is no ignoring the outdated tradition that men are inherently better leaders than women. Deep within the annals of almost every culture there have been one or more dominant male figureheads leading their community. This is most likely due to the primal yet apparent physical superiority of man, at least in prehistoric societies. However in modern times, this distinct guideline for gender-based roles is not as expected. There are no physical competitions for leadership anymore, forcing competition to only be based on the quality of one's character. However, there are distinct emotional and psychological differences unique to both genders still separating them from each other. Women are more characteristically gentle and nurturing, as they are natural mothers. Technically, the actual chemicals, such as estrogen, found in women make them the loving mothers whom we appreciate and love. But the real question is whether this detracts from the qualities of real leadership. A true leader has an incredible talent to persuade others. This ability includes connecting with people's true emotions on a very personal level, a quality that most women have in spades. Men have a more direct approach to relationships with people, and do not enjoy this advantage that women have. However, men have natural intimidation and powerful demeanor in their gait. Despite these gender-based benefits, there are also detrimental sides to being a woman. Becoming too emotional in an international summit would be a complete disaster. Some real signs of weakness within the nation could occur if someone displays too much emotion. The kind of emotion that is found in the feminine gender can be controlled to gather followers and help with personal popularity. In the article about Hillary Clinton's emotional outburst, a sarcastic reporter joked that she must have debated whether or not to cry for a long time. In a sense, this can be completely logical. She might have cried purely out of reason to try to get some compassion and pity from the nation. Connecting with the people is a very important yet difficult task that some politicians face. It can make or break the career of a leader. I believe that if any person possesses the true qualities of a leader, then they definitely deserve it. While gender can affect the type and quality of a person's character, it does not necessarily affect their leadership abilities. However, the public's perception of a female leader could diminish her authority, even though she wouldnt be able to do anything about it. Women have the same capacity for leadership that men exhibit, despite their physical inferiority.