Luminaries Working Toward Change: An Analysis of the Barriers Preventing the Advancement of Women Leaders and a Proposition of How We Move Forward Together
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Through an extensive discussion of the current discourse on women’s leadership in the United States today as well as data collected from five in-depth interviews with women leaders from across industries, this research shines light on the following proposition: positive change for women pursuing leadership roles happens through connection at the level of the self and connection to others. A competing narrative emerges in the current discourse. Some experts and practitioners point to structural and systemic issues such as gender bias and the double bind within the workplace that prevent women from advancing in their careers, while others claim that self-imposed barriers such as the impostor syndrome prevent women from advancing. Results from the five interviews with a diverse group of women in top leadership roles highlight how these deep-rooted and multifaceted barriers underscore the need for a reframing of the discourse and for transformative change. Key themes addressing how we move forward together became apparent in these interviews, such as authenticity, shared vision, and relationship-building. Authentically embracing one’s intersectional identity, leading with a shared vision, and focusing on relationship-building are strategies applicable to women and men’s advancement - noting how leadership can be shared across gender identity and is not a zero-sum game. Rather, men and women can advance together. However, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. As luminaries, we must break through those barriers and employ new strategies collaboratively to ensure that leadership is more representative of the populations that those leaders serve.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Date created | 2020 |
Creators/Contributors
| Author | Luna, Marissa |
|---|---|
| Advisor | Simard, Caroline |
| Degree granting institution | Stanford University |
Subjects
| Subject | leadership |
|---|---|
| Subject | luminaries |
| Subject | women leaders |
| Subject | identity |
| Subject | diversity |
| Subject | career advancement |
| Subject | barriers |
| Subject | Science Technology and Society |
| Genre | Thesis |
Bibliographic information
Access conditions
- Use and reproduction
- User agrees that, where applicable, content will not be used to identify or to otherwise infringe the privacy or confidentiality rights of individuals. Content distributed via the Stanford Digital Repository may be subject to additional license and use restrictions applied by the depositor.
- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-SA).
Preferred citation
- Preferred Citation
- Luna, Marissa. (2020). Luminaries Working Toward Change: An Analysis of the Barriers Preventing the Advancement of Women Leaders and a Proposition of How We Move Forward Together. Stanford Digital Repository. Available at: https://purl.stanford.edu/mp866ck4562
Collection
Stanford University, Program in Science, Technology and Society, Honors Theses
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- Contact
- mmluna@stanford.edu
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