Aspiring to leadership … a woman's world? An example of developments in France

Abstract

Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review and analyse current research in the field of women leadership. It deals with fundamental changes observed in the past 20 years and tries to establish any common traits and tendencies. The question of whether changing leadership styles, emotional intelligence and different organisational requirements have favoured the emergence of women leaders is addressed. Attention is then switched to France to determine whether this country is in line with the general trends or not. Design/methodology/approach – Current research in the field is reviewed and it is demonstrated that, with the advent of globalisation and changing leadership styles, there are some encouraging signs for the female graduates of the 21st century's international business schools, although progress is painstakingly slow. Concerning women leaders in France, 12 in‐depth, semi‐directive interviews were performed with women occupying leadership positions in medium‐sized to large companies. A cluster and content analysis is applied and conclusions drawn. Findings – Leadership styles have changed dramatically over the past 20 years. We can say that there is a male and female leadership style. Emotional intelligence has facilitated the emergence of women leaders as have changing societal factors. The situation in France has changed drastically since the milestone date of 1968. Although there are certain aspects which are peculiar to French culture, no evidence was found to suggest that France is in any way a "cultural exception". On the contrary, patterns observed in French companies were very much in line with the findings in the review section. Research limitations/implications – The sample of 12 women interviewees was obviously a little limited and a more extensive survey might be conducted in the near future. There was however a large degree of convergence in the responses. The two parts of the article demonstrate that the situation for women is definitely improving even if progress is slow and painstaking. The research should be extended to a more pan‐European study as a follow‐up. Practical implications – In view of the employment crisis predicted in 2040, more efforts will have to be made to integrate women into the workplace especially at top management level in business and engineering; emphasis should be placed on effective team management and better management training for women in general. Networking and child care facilities will have to be improved in order to keep women leaders in the system and thus avoid the "gender drain". Originality/value – The paper illustrates how a country born in the spirit of social justice has managed, although belatedly, to come to terms with changing gender roles and to provide the necessary infrastructures for women to attain higher levels of career advancement. In the latter case they have certainly progressed quicker than their European counterparts.

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