Abstract
The percentage of women in leadership positions is increasing and advancing towards gender parity. However, the number of female leaders is still low when compared to male leaders. We endeavored to examine by means of a literature review the impact of Emotional Intelligence (EI) on women´s leadership since we found that EI is a key factor in predicting effective leadership traits. We also found there is a social perception that women tend to be seen as more emotional and empathic than men. We review the definitions of leadership and EI and explore the link between EI, leadership and women. Several leadership scholars and psychologists argue that EI is an important foundation for leadership effectiveness. We review the literature about how men and women compare in their EI attributes. When it comes to learning EI, men and women have the same opportunities to acquire a greater EI through reflection and experience. However, we highlight the necessity for increasing the number of women in leadership positions by enhancing and supporting women’s leadership competencies. Moreover, we emphasize the importance of building EI in order to achieve effective leadership.
Highlights
The nineteenth century marked the rise of leadership studies (Grint 2011) when authors, such as Carlyle (1872) began exploring which characteristics qualified the great men in history to become competent and effective leaders
Since Emotional Intelligence (EI) is recognized as an important determinant of effective leadership, the question of whether women do have an advantage over men in this respect arises
The aim of this paper was to examine to what extent EI as an important determinant of effective leadership can be an asset for womens leadership competencies
Summary
The nineteenth century marked the rise of leadership studies (Grint 2011) when authors, such as Carlyle (1872) began exploring which characteristics qualified the great men in history to become competent and effective leaders. The research resulted in the “Great Man Theory”, and in the Leadership Trait Approach, which identified leadership as inborn competencies (Khan et al, 2016). According to this theory, leaders were born with personality traits that would explain their leadership positions. Mann (1959) defined six characteristics describing effective leadership including: intelligence, masculinity, dominance, adjustment, extraversion, and conservatism. While examining the characteristics of effective leaders, these researchers emphasised masculinity as an important attribute. These insights are in contradiction to todays wider and “increasingly sophisticated” Whether in the political world - where Finland designated the 34 years old Sanna Marin as prime minister with a cabinet largely composed of women (Harrison, 2019), or in the social sphere where Mother Theresa was held up as a contributor to humanity by helping poor, sheltered and ijbm.ccsenet.org
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