“(Women) don’t face a glass ceiling,” Northwestern psychology professor Alice Eagly said. “It’s not like ‘Whoops, I can’t go any farther’ and ‘boom,’ you hit something.”
Instead of the commonly accepted “glass ceiling” metaphor, Eagly describes the problems women face as a “labyrinth” in her new book, “Through the Labyrinth: The Truth About How Women Become Leaders.” Linda Carli, an associate professor of psychology at Wellesley College, co-authored the book.
“A labyrinth has many challenges,” Eagly said. “There are dead ends. There are false starts. You might have to turn around. … But it’s possible to get through because you know there’s a route to the center.”
“Through the Labyrinth” is a social science book that is based on a collection of research from several disciplines including social psychology, sociology, economics and political science. The book outlines both the causes of the labyrinth, as well as how business women have learned to successfully navigate through it.
During a time of heightened interest toward female leaders – especially as Senator Hillary Clinton campaigns to become the first woman president – Eagly argues that this is a time to ask why the ratio of men to women leaders is unequal.
“Through the Labyrinth” answered this question by discussing issues such as gender discrimination, stereotypes and family responsibilities.
“We’re in a really interesting time right now,” said Weinberg senior Julia Fedor, the College Feminists’ publicity chair. “Women have all their legal rights, but it’s still hard for women to be successful and balance family life and work.” .
Eagly praised NU for offering professors a paid one-quarter childbearing leave. Both male and female professors can also take a paid one-quarter child-rearing leave. But, she added, better childcare accommodations are needed on campus. And with many women taking maternity leave to take care of children, Eagly argues that it’s increasingly difficult for successful women to re-enter the workforce.
“If you’ve missed five years, you’ve missed the world,” she said.
NU students agreed that striking the right balance can be difficult.
“It just sucks that there’s this trade off,” said Rosalie Sangenitto, a Communication freshman. “For high-powered women, either you never see your children or never have any at all, or you have to quit your job and be a housewife.”
In addition to examining why there are is a lack of women in leadership positions, Eagly’s book also advises women on how to successfully navigate the labyrinth using a “transformation leadership” style, which blends masculine and feminine approaches in a more nurturing leader.
“It’s what we call the double bind,” Eagly said. “If women are very assertive they get a negative reaction, but if they are too soft they get a negative reaction. It’s hard to get it right.”
“Through the Labyrinth” also presents research to show how that style of leadership is even more effective than traditional styles used by men.
However, young women today do not expect “the labyrinth” due to the environments created by educational institutions. Eagly’s book explains one study indicating no significant difference between the numbers of male or female leaders in high school.
“Some argue that men have an edge based in terms of their basic personalities. If they did they’d dominate high school, but they don’t,” Eagly said.
At NU, women are presidents of 59 percent of ASG’s A-status student groups, while male presidents make up the other 41 percent. But Eagly’s research indicated that said fewer than six percent of Fortune 500 companies have female presidents.
“We tell young girls, ‘You can be anything you want to be’ … and then you realize it isn’t a reality,” said Fedor.
Familiarizing young women with the idea of the labyrinth is an important way to inspire a more thoughtful and creative approach to careers than fearing the fictional glass ceiling, Eagly said.
“It’s your life,” she said. “Solve it. Don’t let it be a surprise.”
Reach Sisi Wei at [email protected].
