Differences in Leadership Styles between Genders: Outcomes and Effectiveness of Women in Leadership Roles

Women, today constituting a large portion of the work force have very few leaders at the top constitutional or organizational positions. In this paper we try to analyze what’s causing hindrance to their growth focusing primarily, if there exists any differences in the leadership styles employed by male and female leaders. As was the case in previous literature, the evidence for sex differences in leadership behavior is still mixed, yet it is clear that these sex differences have not vanished. It is argued that sex differences in leadership styles are largely a consequence of the context in which male and female leaders work. Arguments and evidences from both sides on, “Do women really make better androgynous leaders?” is analyzed overall based on several inferences. This paper further focuses on the values and attitudes of women being in leadership positions leaving challenges for further research on the effect of external variables such as the work force, corporation structure, and necessity of innovation on the gender in the leadership role