South African female individuals' perceptions and experiences of their gender and leadership roles

Abstract

Literature on leadership and gender has primarily focused on gender differences between men and women's leadership styles as well as the existence of barriers to the advancement of women. This research has also shown that due to these barriers there is underrepresentation of women in leadership positions. It also appears that this research is mostly based on subordinates' perceptions ofleaders and their leadership preferences. This research has also been quantitative in nature and has ignored women's personal experiences as well as their perceptions of gender dynamics within the organizational context. It becomes of interest how some women manage to advance into senior positions despite research indicating that women are still faced with many obstacles in doing so. This study was thus aimed at exploring the perceptions and experiences of South African female senior managers with regard to gender and leadership roles. The study's objectives were; to explore with South African female individuals in leadership positions their perceptions of gender roles and leadership, their experiences in leadership positions, their home and family lives and finally notions of gender stereotypes and prejudice within leadership. The theories used in making sense of the information and findings were the social role theory, and a derivative of it; the role congruity theory. An exploratory qualitative framework using purposive and snowball sampling was used. Six female individuals with at least a year's experience in a leadership position in the private sector who were based in the Western Cape and Gauteng provinces of South Africa were part ofthe study. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were used in collecting data and an interview guide containing open ended questions was used in guiding the interview process. Ethical considerations with regard to anonymity, confidentiality and informed consent were also adhered to. Braun and Clarke's method of thematic analysis was used and themes that emerged were organised and coded accordingly.