This research was conducted from an anthropology narrative approach and based on semistructured conversation interviews with four Thai women who owned their own businesses and therefore were in a leadership position. The purpose was to get a picture of women leadership in the working life in Thailand. Focus was to find characteristics in their leadership, in the way they became leaders, their forces, how they thought of their leadership and which attitudes they met from society. This was analysed using the theory from Hofstede with five dimensions on cultures and also from democratic and authoritarian leadership. The result showed both similarities and differences. Similarities, such as the respondents being strong, hard working women running a family business and mostly using a democratic leadership and were forced to stand by themselves at the same time as they cared a lot about relations. It appeared that the Thai society was changing; there the women got a more prominent role in the working life, which embodied a more feminine culture with smaller power distances.

<p>This research was conducted from an anthropology narrative approach and based on semistructured conversation interviews with four Thai women who owned their own businesses and therefore were in a leadership position. The purpose was to get a picture of women leadership in the working life in Thailand. Focus was to find characteristics in their leadership, in the way they became leaders, their forces, how they thought of their leadership and which attitudes they met from society. This was analysed using the theory from Hofstede with five dimensions on cultures and also from democratic and authoritarian leadership. The result showed both similarities and differences. Similarities, such as the respondents being strong, hard working women running a family business and mostly using a democratic leadership and were forced to stand by themselves at the same time as they cared a lot about relations. It appeared that the Thai society was changing; there the women got a more prominent role in the working life, which embodied a more feminine culture with smaller power distances.</p>

Major issues that this dissertation concerns itself with are: patriarchalisation of the church, societal valuation of women, changing culture and the changing images of women, and finally unmasking the sin of patriarchy. The essay will be examining such issues as what makes patriarchy so strong? Why does the church hold dearly on patriarchal systems that exclude and undermine women yet preaching universality of the church which emphazises community of believers? In this community of believers all are believed to be equal in Christ Jesus. How then does the church's witness to the world remain" good news" and valid when the half or the majority of the community remain marginalised and subjugated? The study traces the background history of the status and role of women in the church. The historical background examines the place and images of women in the Hebrew culture. Women leadership during the patriarchal period is also examined. Christ being the head of the church, the concept of Christo logy is explored in relation to women. Biblical and Pauline attitudes towards women are also examined since they influence the place of women in the church. The attitudes towards women in the church leadership roles from both women and men are examined. The status and place of women in the church are influenced by religious, cultural, social and economic aspects. The study therefore, is concluded by raising suggestions that will bring about transformation for the betterment of women's place and status. This is in hope that, the church will become a community of believers where women and men will participate equally. Core to this is the investigation, exploration and examination of the leadership roles of women in the church. This is from different perspectives, for instance, how are women represented in church leadership positions? What are the numerical ratios between women and men? What role do the structures of the church play in maintaining this? What is the role played by men and women? Answers to these questions raise the challenges that the church should be prepared to face in the new millenium / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Durban-Westville, 2000.

Thesis (Ph.D)--Murdoch University, 2004. / Thesis submitted to the Division of Arts. Includes bibliographical references (p. 285-298).

Thesis (M.Ed.)--Acadia University, 2004. / Included in the thesis is a separate document in the form of an "art exhibit catalogue". It has the title Lives lived, women leading in the outdoors : a representation of the experiences of four women. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 120-126). Also available on the Internet via the World Wide Web.

Family businesses are a critical part of the African economy, yet many fail within one generation and most within two generations. Moreover, women are generally not part of leadership succession in family businesses due largely to institutional logics that serve as impediments to women in business leadership. The intent of this dissertation is to fill a gap in the research literature and knowledge on the experiences of female successors in African family businesses by investigating the influence of institutional logics (cultural, ownership, management and family factors) on the leadership succession of women in African family business. A qualitative study consisting of semi-structured interviews was conducted with eight female leadership successors in African family business representing different industries. Participants were asked about their perceptions about being a woman in business, the nature of female succession in family-owned businesses, and impediments they perceive to the success of women in business. Ultimately, the findings uncovered various institutional, familial and individual impediments to women taking on leadership roles, such as institutional attitudes towards women, gender stereotypes, masculine attitudes of entrepreneurship, a lack of access to resources, and access to education and training amongst girls and women. Overall, this research contributes to theory and knowledge on how women’s succession in a family firm is affected by institutionalized African legal and sociocultural norms’ and the impact of management, ownership and family elements in family businesses. / Business Administration/International Business Administration

The women and peace hypothesis suggests that women are more likely than men to choose peace and compromise over violent conflict, whether as ordinary citizens or as government leaders. I test this concept by analyzing the percent of women in the parliaments and executive cabinets of 93 nations over a 31-year-period, comparing these figures to the presence of violent interstate conflicts for each country-year. Controlling for wealth, democratic status, national capabilities, military expenditures, and contiguity, I find moderate support for the women and peace hypothesis. This support continues when democratic system type is interacted with the measured office. While women do not affect a nation’s likelihood of violent conflict to the same degree that other, well-documented predictors do, the effect of women in higher office is nonetheless still significant.

<p>In this study, I explored the experiences of gender and power relations among a group of black women holding leadership positions in six government departments in the Western Cape. South Africa is in a process of transition and, to create a departure from the past, key objectives focus around the transformation of gender disparities and the eradication of racism and other forms of inequality and discrimination in all spheres of this society. There are many methods utilized to increase the number of women in leadership positions in the private and public sectors. However, there is a lack of research regarding the social environment for women once they have entered into these structures (Angevine, 2006). This study made use of a feminist qualitative methodology which guided the research. Six semi-structured, open-ended interviews were conducted in order to carry out an in-depth exploration of participants&rsquo / experiences. After the participants had given consent, the interviews were audio-recorded, then transcribed verbatim. Data was analyzed in accordance with qualitative thematic analysis. All standard ethical considerations to protect the participants and the researcher were taken into account and practised throughout the research. The findings show evidence that black African women leaders in government departments have internalized learnt subservient characteristics / and that this serves to undermine their authority as leaders. Specifically, larger social power relations and traditional forms of authority undermine their capacity to express authority in work environments. They also experience both subtle and blatant racist and sexist prejudice in the form of stereotypes and hostility in the workplace. A minority of women managers actively oppose the gendered notions that undermine their leadership. Ultimately, black African women managers are not accepted or supported as legitimate leaders in the workplace. Women leaders are perceived to be incapable of performing effectively as leaders because of gender and racial stereotypes that serve as hindrances to their expression of leadership. The study found that some participants conform to the socially constructed notion of maintaining a work-life balance and this poses a challenge for such leaders. Those who are married attempt to balance career and life by maximizing on their management of their time. A number of women had made the personal decision to remain single in order to focus explicitly on their careers.</p>

The purpose of this thesis was to investigate perception of glass cliff in a Turkish sample. Glass cliff refers to a phenomenon whereby women are over-represented in risky leadership positions. Thus, the current study explored the effect of company performance and candidate gender on perceived suitability and on perceived leadership ability of the candidate for the leadership position. The thesis also examined moderating effects of ambivalent sexism (hostile and benevolent sexism) on the relationship between company performance and perceived suitability as well as on the relationship between company performance and perceived leadership ability of the female candidate. The data were collected from 167 MBA students through quantitative methods. The results of the analyses indicated that compared to an equally qualified male candidate, female candidate was perceived as more suitable and more able as a leader when the company performance was declining. Moreover, the female candidate was perceived as more able when the company performance was declining rather than improving. Participants evaluated the male candidate as more suitable when the company performance was improving rather than declining. The results of the moderation analyses revealed that declining company performance predicted an increase in perceived suitability and leadership ability of the female candidate for the participants who have low benevolent sexism scores. The major contributions of the present study are (1) examining the perception of glass cliff phenomenon for the first time in Turkey, and (2) showing the impact of benevolent sexism on glass cliff.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2003. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 190-211).