Theories of Feminism

             Feminism does not have a single fundamental definition. Feminism refers to the belief in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes; that each individual is a valuable human being in his or her own right. The goal of feminist work is broader than simply a stronger emphasis on women; the goal is to revise our way of considering history, society, literature, etc. so that both male and female are seen equally conditioned by the gender constructions of their culture. Feminists may differ in the importance they assign to sex, which is a biologically based category, but the idea that gender norms can be changed is central to feminist theory. Gender is learned and performed; it is formed by cultural forces that indicate how people should "be" based on their sex. Gender is an identity shaped through interactions with others. Expectations of men are very different from expectations of women due to gender-based prejudices. The term feminism refers to a belief system rather than traits that have been labeled as feminine. Both sexes can be feminists.
             The feminist theories of leadership suggest that they way women are socialized and the career paths they take may impact the style they chose. Women tend to lead from the center, value consensus decision making, share information and power, manage conflict through joint problem solving, and embrace diversity. These traits are known as feminist leadership characteristics. This type of perspective differs from more traditional leadership and management theory. Women leaders tend to form interrelated teams in a web structure in order to bring people together and lead from the center, as opposed to from the top of a hierarchy. The work environment in a feminist organization values each individual's unique contribution and assumes most employees are motivated by needs such as esteem or self-actualization. Profit-making becomes a by-product under this approach, but success ...

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