Managing The Woman Resource for Sustainable Development: A Gender/Leadership Perspective

Abstract

There is no gainsaying that there has been an influx of women into the workplace in the past few decades. Nevertheless, the number is not in proportion to their population. Worse still, only a privileged few are allowed to lead in organizations. Women in leadership positions are barely visible compared to their male counterparts in organizations. The situation is not getting better by the day despite enormous efforts being made by women to improve their educational status and leadership skills. The major challenge that confronts women’s attainment of leadership positions stems from measuring women’s leadership competence by standards traditionally associated with the concept of leadership. This dual problem suffered by women has crippling effects on the development of any country on all fronts. A nation that utilizes only half of its human resources cannot sustain its viability in the long run. The paper analyzed the nature of the problems women encounter in a male-dominated work environment and patriarchal society and the link between gender and sustainable development.