Female Executives in International Business

Historically, leadership positions in highly successful companies are given to

men. This hasnt just been in certain areas of the world, but all around the world,
until recently. Though it may seem like women have been involved in the business
community for a long time, it is easy to forget that they didnt really start entering
the business environment until the 1970s, and later in other countries. Before then,
their main role in society was to stay at home and take care of the children, while
the men went to work and brought home the bacon. Although America has come a
long way in letting women into the business world, it is evident that we
subconsciously still do not view women as leaders.
Below is a chart showing the amount of women that compose the labor force
of S&P 500 companies. About 45% of employees are women, but only 4.6% of CEOs
are women. Executive/Senior Level managers and board seat members tend to have
a higher ratios of women; however, it is still disproportional to the overall labor
force.

Surprisingly, countries such as Latvia, Indonesia, and the Philippines have 40

percent of their senior management level positions comprised of women. A part of
the reason for these numbers is that families in these regions live with grandparents

and other relatives, so they always have someone looking after their children. In
Russia, women actually account for 43 percent of senior management level
positions. This is interesting because Russia isnt necessarily known for its liberal
mindset; however, the reason for this can be traced back to their communist roots,
where know one is suppose to be better off than anyone else. Years ago in Russia,
women were actively promoted in the accounting, education, and health care
industries. These are huge business industries today.
It seems that emerging markets understand the power of utilizing women in
higher level positions more than developed markets. Women dominate the global
economy. They control 20 trillion in annual global spending. These emerging
markets definitely have the right idea. It would be extremely beneficial to have
more women in higher level positions because they are the ones that are buying,
and can offer a unique perspective on customer buying criteria, marketing, and
insight into the female mind.
Females executives would be especially beneficial in male dominated
markets that are looking create more female customers. Companies such as ESPN
and the NFL have been trying to do this for years, and may be able to increase their
odds of success by implementing more female executives in their companies. The
NFL actually hired Dawn Hudson, as their new Advertising Executive, in a attempt to
gain more female fans.
Mexico culture and ideology on female executives
The culture in Mexico is very similar to Latin America, Africa, Asia, and
Eastern Europe towards the attitude of female executives playing a role in
international business. These countries are very high score masculine on Hofstede

dimension making the counties very low in feminine dimension. Therefore the
society in Mexico is very male dominated and male roles are defined as
machismo. This is known to be the power role in the male that traditionally
distinct the role of the women. The male role in this country makes the decisions in
the households and dominates the relationship. In the Mexican society female roles
are view as the nurturers of the family and the caregivers. Women are mainly stay
home moms and dont have much domination in the household. The ideology of a
female being independent is looked upon. Consequently to that factor the number
of female executives is limited.
The masculine domination in Mexico is a challenge for female executives that
are in that workforce. A challenge that female executives face when entering the
Mexican market is organizational barrier. The female executive may find barriers
that prevent her to advance top management positions. Due to her gender, a
female executive might not success when conducting international business. Since
male domination is high in Mexico, many businessmen might not want to conduct
business with a female executive. Some businessmen might not approve to have a
business meeting with a female executive because of their traditional beliefs and
views of the female role in that culture. The female executive might not be taken in
consideration or seriously when conducting negotiation. The gender factor could
interfered and be challenging for a female executive position that can overall affect
the business financially.

Workplace Relationships
For anyone trying to obtain an executive position, regardless of their
gender, networking and maintaining relationships in their work environment

is essential. Having a vast network of people to reach out to can help in ways
such as building credibility, respect, and support. Research shows that
strong social connections at the office can boost productivity, and could
make employees more passionate about their work and less likely to quit
their jobs (Gregoire). Furthermore, healthy relationships at a work place has
been shown to decrease levels of stress and increase experienced happiness
among individuals (Gregoire). The challenge, then, lies in maintaining these
mutual relationships throughout ones career.
Unlike their male counterparts, who tend to keep their work and
personal lives separate, women often intertwine their work life with their
personal life, making them much more interpersonal and emotional thinkers
(Crowley and Elster). The difference in the way women think and act can
pose as a challenge, especially for female executives, because it makes
female employeeseven more vulnerable to workplace tension when
dealing with conflicts (Gregoire). This, in addition to preexisting views of
females not being fit for management positions, make it difficult for females
to acquire such high positions.
As stated earlier, it is crucial that current and potential female
executives maintain strong connections with other employees that they can
reach out to. Furthermore, female workers are advised to think less
emotionally and more objectively in their working environment to prevent
unnecessary tension from forming.

Hiring Decision
Before making a hiring decision many factors play a role other than
qualifications, such as age, ability to work under pressure, and overall
character as a person. Placing a woman in a management position could be
beneficial in the sense that woman are more likely to follow rules from
above, and not question as much as men. Management Is great in making a
system more efficient/more authoritarian, however a work culture that is
more free is able to develop better ideas. Hiring a female that is relatively
young could mean the chance of maternity leave; in turn would cause less
effective time at work and less profit for the company. According to the
figures in the house of commons library over 14 percent of the 340,000
woman who take maternity leave puts their job at risk, and hurts business.
Other challenges that may arise include harassment, false harassment
accusations, social/emotional factors, workplace status.
Gynocentrism has effected western culture and hurts overall
productivity causing other workers to become hostile and change the way in
which they work. There is a chance that male workers may feel an obligation
to act a certain way that may negatively affect performance. She would be
expected to work in the same regards and conditions as a male in that
position. Her qualifications should not go unnoticed as long as outside factors
do not affect what needs to be done inside the corporation. The best way to
have positive outcomes is to ignore any types of gender or gender roles and
work on problems/tasks at hand.

Overcoming the challenges:

For many young, successful women, making achievements professionally means learning to
master male-dominated workplaces. Cisco Senior VP and CIO Rebecca Jacoby advised aspiring
females to make sure they have a strong sense of self, to constantly learn from every experience,
and to understand that change is constant. Learn to face and overcome the challenges by voicing
out, learning to say no, playing to your strengths, getting sponsors and investing in yourself.
As a female instead of waiting to get what is rightfully yours, you should learn to vocalize
which opportunities and projects you want. If you are not good at grabbing your boss in the hall
and bringing up the projects that excite you, then schedule formal time to check in at least once
a month and let your boss know what you would like to work on (Fang, 7 Ways to Excel in a
Male-Dominated Workplace).
There is tremendous pressure to work hard. It is too easy to say yes to every project as you
want to strive to be a good employee. If you never say no, you will ultimately just hurt both
yourself and your company. Its important to stand up for the projects you really want to work
on and then push back at other times when you dont have capacity (Fang, 7 Ways to Excel in
a Male-Dominated Workplace).
Always play to your strengths even when they are stereotypes. For example; if you have the
strengths of being a great listener, showing empathy, socializing or just being the mother, learn to
use them in an advantageous way at your workplace. They are all good qualities to demonstrate a
rising future leader. Particularly in a workplace where those skills are in short supply, they are a
way to get noticed. It can help to start mutually beneficial relationship.
Start building relationships with your boss and other senior leaders and pay particular
attention to cultivate those relationships with the individuals who believe in you and publicly
support you. A sponsor is a mentor who will promote you within your organization. It may be

nearly impossible to advance as a woman in a male-dominated workplace without a sponsor.

They are going to be your best advocates.
According to Rebecca Jacoby females truly need to know themselves and make decisions
accordingly. Females have to learn from every experience and add it to their experiential toolbox.
Combine technology with great communication skills to make a difference in business and the
world (Nasri, Strong Female Lead). According to Arianna Huffington president and editor-inchief of Huffington Post, performance will actually improve if you can commit to not only
working hard, but also unplugging, recharging, and renewing yourself (Nasri, Strong Female
Lead). This would save a lot of unnecessary stress, burnout, and exhaustion.

Works Cited

Fang, Jane. "7 Ways to Excel in a Male-Dominated Workplace." 7 Ways to Excel in a MaleDominated Workplace. The Muse, n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2015.
<https://www.themuse.com/advice/7-ways-to-excel-in-a-maledominated-workplace>.

Nasri, Grace. "Strong Female Lead." Fast Company. Asana, 12 June 2014. Web. 30 Oct. 2015.
<http://www.fastcompany.com/3031772/strong-female-lead/advice-from-7-womenleaders-who-navigated-the-male-dominated-tech-scene>.