The Downing Street Project / network
What difference would it make if women were in power?
Indra and I have been to a quite a few events in London recently on the topic of women in politics. The overwhelming feeling at these events is one of despair and anger. The speakers, quite rightly, speak movingly about the injustice that faces women in leadership. There simply are more men in power and its hard for women to break into that space.
Whilst this is undoubtedly true, The Downing Street Project is about something else. We are about looking to the future where women are sharing leadership with men and that a change has been made to the world because of this. We need to move away from complaining about what doesn’t work, and there is plenty of that, to creating a vision of the future. A future that compels us to engage, to speak up and to move forward into leadership roles ourselves.
Let’s start the discussion. What difference do you think it would make to the UK or the world if at least 50% of elected MP’s were women?
Whilst this is undoubtedly true, The Downing Street Project is about something else. We are about looking to the future where women are sharing leadership with men and that a change has been made to the world because of this. We need to move away from complaining about what doesn’t work, and there is plenty of that, to creating a vision of the future. A future that compels us to engage, to speak up and to move forward into leadership roles ourselves.
Let’s start the discussion. What difference do you think it would make to the UK or the world if at least 50% of elected MP’s were women?
Lee Chalmers
My whole interest in this subject arose from the work of Carol Gilligan in the 1970's. She showed that girls and boys reason differently during their development when it came to questions of morality . The girls showed what we would now understand as a more systemic view of moral questions and the boys a more linear approach. The boys would apply the learned moral rule, regardless of the complexities of the situation but the girls would want to know what they considered to be all the salient facts before making a decision. This had previously been interpreted as them being 'too emotional' to take the hard decision.
I believe that business is entering into a more moral or ethical phase and that the more systemic vision we have as women will be sorely needed. I believe that if we have a more balanced leadership culture, one that allows for systemic, connected thinking alongside the more masculine linear thinking, we will create a whole set of different priorities for our laws and spending policies.
Mar 26, 2009
Renata Keller
Mar 29, 2009
indraadnan
Mar 30, 2009